


the fire burning deep inside

by prvncess



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Bellarke Endgame, Clarke & Lexa brotp, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Fairies, Fluff and Angst, Lexa & Roan brotp, Witches, depictions of violence heavily unlike the show, winx club!AU, with a small dash of Clexa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:21:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24659827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prvncess/pseuds/prvncess
Summary: Clarke doesn't mean to find the sole survivor of Sparx on Earth. But she supposes if you wanted to hide a magical kingdom's only hope, you'd hide them somewhere without magic. Helpfully, Lexa already knows about magic and wants to know more about her history. However, with the return of the Dragon Flame to Magix, the girls accidentally set off a chain of events that will not only strengthen the bonds between the six girls but also change them forever.AKA another AU that nobody asked for but I wrote anyway. This is one is based off of Winx Club.
Relationships: Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin, Clarke Griffin & Lexa, Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Costia/Lexa (The 100), Emori/John Murphy (The 100), Octavia Blake/Lincoln, Raven Reyes/Miles Ezekiel Shaw, Wells Jaha/Luna
Comments: 3
Kudos: 20





	the fire burning deep inside

**Author's Note:**

> so this one also came to me at 3 AM while i was half asleep. It was a little harder to write because I ended up going with Valtor as my main villain, and man, Season 3 of Winx was packed with stuff. It took me a while to hammer out something resembling a cohesive plot. 
> 
> again, you don't really need to have watched the show to understand what's going on here. They're girls who can turn into fairies, it's not much deeper than that. But for those of you who have watched the show, here's my map of characters (just the girls though):  
> \- Bloom = Lexa  
> \- Stella = Clarke  
> \- Musa = Emori  
> \- Tecna = Raven  
> \- Aisha = Luna  
> \- Flora = Octavia  
> The girls have the same powers as their cartoon counterparts. They're pairings also pretty much follow the show's couples except for Clarke & Lexa who have some navigating to do. The fic is also definitely way more gory than the Winx Club ever was mostly to add stakes to the challenges they faced and highkey make their powers seem more than just pretty lights.
> 
> Also the girls retain most of their The 100 personalities but sometimes they veer into OOC territory to match their cartoon counterparts. just a warning. but anyway, enjoy!
> 
> fic title is from the [first season winx club theme song.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7VQjI1u39I)
> 
> excuse any and all types and errors. this is unbeta'd and i've done my best. i'll fix any i catch.

Clarke doesn't mean to find the sole survivor of Sparx on Earth. But she supposes if you wanted to hide a magical kingdom's only hope, you'd hide them somewhere without magic. It seems counterintuitive.

But then again, with the Ancestral Witches locked up, there's probably not that many people left who care deeply enough about finding the lost princess.

So here she is, flat on her ass, as she watches Lexa fend off the goblins that followed Clarke with waves of bright fire.

"Woah," Clarke breathes. Lexa looks ethereal backlit by her flames.

Lexa makes a quick do about the goblins, wiping the soot off of her hands as she turns to Clarke. She raises an eyebrow at the girl on the ground and asks, "You have magic, too?"

Clarke blinks. "You know about magic?" she asks. There wasn't supposed to be any magic on Earth, that's what everyone was told. It was supposed to have died out with the last of the Earth Fairies who were hunted and exterminated by a vicious and foul band of fairy hunters.

Lexa doesn't look impressed, "Of course, I know about magic. I can shoot flames from my hands." She creates a small ball of flames in her hands to enunciate her point.

Clarke brushes herself off as she stands, gazing at the fire with awe. "Magic was supposed to have died out in this realm ages ago," she murmurs, holding her hands close to the flame, feeling the talons lick lightly against her skin. It's surprisingly warm.

Lexa watches her movements with a sharp eye, explaining, "I didn't know at first. But one day, I nearly died falling off of a mountain edge while hiking. I didn't realize what was happening when suddenly I was in a blue skirt and top with wings coming out of my back. After that, I did some research. I think I'm a fairy."

Clarke snorts and looks up at Lexa, meeting her determined eyes. "You're definitely a fairy if you had a spontaneous outfit change." It must've been especially hard to find out about her fairy heritage on a planet that hasn't seen magic in centuries. Clarke returns her gaze to the flame in Lexa's hand. It seems to be almost _purring_ , like a sleeping dragon.

Clarke's eyes widen as hundreds of afternoons spent in the castle solarium learning about Magix's history come fluttering to the forefront of her mind. _This must be the Dragon Flame_. The mythical flame said to have given life to the entire Magix dimension which was protected by the royal family of Sparx. With its downfall, it was thought to have been lost. But she's staring at its beautiful flames in the hand of a beautiful girl. The Dragon Flame is real.

"Holy shit, you must be the lost princess," Clarke posits. Her eyes snap to Lexa's face again. She certainly looks like a lost princess with her steely gaze, immaculate posture and high cheekbones. She then blushes furiously, remembering who she must be talking to. "Your highness," she scrambles to add on.

Lexa extinguishes her flame, and Clarke misses its warmth already. Lexa tilts her head at Clarke, asking, "The lost princess?"

Right, if she's been hiding here her entire life, she must not know her story. Clarke blanches internally. She is so not the person to be dealing the news of someone's eternally frozen kingdom. As a princess herself, she can only imagine the shock and pain that would come with knowing that your kingdom has fallen and you weren't able to save it.

Though, Lexa was never a princess in practice. Maybe she won't feel like that.

Regardless, Clarke think this is not the job for her. Indra would be much better at delivering the news.

A light bulb goes off in Clarke's mind. "You have to come to Alfea with me! Our headmistress could probably explain it better than I can," she exclaims.

"Alfea? What is that?" Lexa asks.

Clarke smiles brightly, "Only the best place ever. It's a school for fairies in the Magix dimension, I'm a second-year student there. You could come and learn about magic and your history."

Lexa seems to consider it. But maybe Clarke had underestimated the princess because she quickly nods her head resolutely and agrees, "I'll come with you to Alfea. If there's a chance to know more about all of this, I want to take it."

Clarke claps her hands, excited. She's only known this girl for a few moment but she's already _invested._ She wants to see this through to end. "Perfect! Let's go then!" She grabs her staff that had fallen to the side, and twirls it in a large circle.

"One portal to the Magix dimension coming up!"

Lexa watches in awe as her staff begins to create a hole in space, opening a window into another land. Clarke sneaks a peek, the lost princess sure does look pretty.

"Who _are_ you?" Lexa breathes.

Clarke just smirks, "Clarke Griffin, princess of sun and moon and Princess of Solaria, at your service." She bows lightly and Lexa snorts. Oh yeah, this is going to be fun.

* * *

It is decidedly _not_ fun.

In her shock at finding the princess, she must have suffered from temporary insanity because as much as she respects Indra, she forgot how absolutely _terrifying_ their headmistress is.

Clarke winces as the headmistress spares no detail in her recollection of the destruction of Sparx, Lexa's kingdom. Lexa, for her part, takes it much better than Clarke would've. If Clarke found out her kingdom had been destroyed, she'd likely burn the whole world down for taking her people from her.

What? She's a princess, not a _saint_.

Lexa, however, just matches Indra steely gaze with one of her own. When Indra finishes telling her story, Lexa demands, "I want to see it. Sparx. I want to see Sparx." Her tone is shockingly even, and it makes Clarke respect her all the more for it.

At this, Indra seems to soften. It turns out letting young girls see destroyed kingdoms is where she draws the line. "I'm afraid that might not be such a good idea. Sparx is nothing but frozen rubble and ruin."

Lexa stands her ground, however. "Frozen rubble or thriving metropolis, Sparx is _my_ kingdom, and I want to see it."

Clarke holds her breath as Lexa and Indra stare each other down. She's never known Indra to bend her will but Clarke has a feeling that Lexa won't back down either.

Finally, Indra sighs, her shoulders drooping. "Very well," she says, waving her hand, "you can go. But you're also to enroll in classes here so that you can hone your power, and you won't be going alone. Clarke will go with you."

Clarke shrugs, "That's fine with me."

Lexa nods her head, seemingly pleased with this deal. "Good, we'll head out tomorrow morning then."

Indra hums her agreement and says, "I believe there is space in Clarke's suite for one more fairy. What do you say, Clarke?"

Clarke just smiles, "We'd love to have her." Lexa turns to smile at her, and Clarke is excited to introduce her to her friends. They'll love her.

* * *

Clarke may have spoken too soon.

Well, Emori and Luna have no problem with her, taking in their new housemate with stride. Raven doesn't seem much more concerned beyond interrogating Lexa on what life on Earth is like. Octavia decidedly does not like Lexa but Octavia feels very strongly about people right from the start. It'll take some time for her to get used to Lexa. 

At the end of the day, three out of four isn't anything to scoff at. Octavia would get with the program eventually.

She turns to Clarke once Lexa gets deeply involved in a conversation with Raven and Emori. "I thought you weren't going to make it back in time for the party."

Clarke swears, she almost forgot about the party that welcomes in the new academic year through a joint celebration with the witches and Specialists. It's always one hell of a time. "Well, we made it. It'll be good for Lexa to meet more people," she muses.

Octavia snorts, "But will it be good for more people to meet Lexa?"

Clarke scowls, "She's not so bad, I don't know why you don't like her already."

Octavia shrugs, "The lost princess of Sparx just happens to show up after hiding for seventeen years? Seems like trouble to me."

Clarke snorts, and shoots back, "Kettle meet pot."

That one gets a laugh out of Octavia, "Hey! I'm not that bad. I've mellowed out since first year." This is true. When Clarke first met the fairy of nature, she was just as unruly as the plants she grew, tangled and thorned. Octavia got herself into quite some trouble her first year, sneaking out past curfew to meet her Specialist boyfriend, Lincoln, throwing parties in their suite, and causing general chaos.

She certainly gave her shrew of a brother early grey hairs. But Bellamy Blake was an entirely different story--one Clarke definitely judged by its cover when they first. Their first meeting had been torrid to say the least. Bellamy Blake was Prince Roan of Araklyon's personal bodyguard. The rumor mill posited that Prince Roan had personally appointed his best friend to the post. Given Clarke's less than stellar opinion of Roan, she hadn't been surprised to take an instant disliking to Bellamy Blake and his stupid hair. 

What _had_ been surprising was his instant dislike of _her_. He had maintained a cordial composure when meeting another member of the Magix Royal Court but it didn't escape her notice his quiet scoffs and dismissive attitude whenever she had spoken at the ball they were at. Needless to say, she was instantly put off by his arrogance and pretention, which said something about how egregious she found his behavior considering arrogance and pretention were nearly requirements in the Royal Court. She had built quite a tolerance to it--but she hadn't been prepared for Bellamy Blake. Within the first few moments of meeting her, he had labeled her stuck-up, pretentious and spoiled.

Which, she's a princess. She's _supposed_ to be a little stuck-up, pretentious and spoiled. But she likes to think she's also relatively normal. She doesn't like letting her inheritance define who she is and what she's entitled to. Being a princess means she _can't_ be selfish, her life is dedicated to her people.

Clarke had been thankful that she hadn't seen much of the pair after that fateful ball until she found out that her rowdy roommate's beloved older brother and asshole Bellamy Blake were one and the same. Her track record with Blakes was truly an atrocity. The two had clashed endlessly over Octavia and royalty and nearly everything that first year even as her relationship with Octavia, and the rest of her suitemates, had mellowed into something dangerously akin to a sisterhood during the trials of their first year. By the time her first Winter Ball at Alfea had come around, she was certain she would never meet anyone as deplorable as Bellamy Blake. 

So of course, that was when he had turned the tables on her. He had shown up at the ball looking irritably _delectable_ in a navy suit so Clarke had been determined to avoid him at all costs lest she doing something utterly _moronic_ like stick her tongue down his vile throat. Really, she already had enough on her plate trying to burn these shameful feelings out of her head, she really didn't think she could handle trying to delust herself while looking directly at Bellamy Blake's stupid face. But then, Bellamy had sought her out like a bloodhound after a body and _apologized_ to her for his behavior. To this day, Clarke will swear on all the stars in Solaria that Octavia was behind her brother's miraculous turnaround even though the flighty nature fairy has never confirmed it. Clarke had turned beet red at his unexpected sincerity (something she had only seen directed towards Octavia or even rarely, towards Roan) and had pushed out an apology of her own. Even in her shock, she wasn't about to be shown up by _Bellamy Blake_. 

When he gave her a bright, heart-melting smile at her apology, Clarke had felt her heart drop like a body freefalling through the sky. She knew then that Bellamy Blake was going to more trouble that she had originally thought. 

Since then, they had settled into something of an easy friendship. The quick wit that he had previously used to argue with her actually complemented her dry humor quite nicely, and she found herself enjoying their now respectable debates with him over Magix policies. Now, he was actually a close friend of hers, someone valuable and precious to her heart. 

And if sometimes, his laugh made her stomach flutter like her wings, or if she sometimes tries to brush up against him--well, it's no one business but hers.

At least, she'd like to think.

"You look like you just ate a sour lemon," Octavia remarks, "I wasn't _that_ bad."

Clarke shakes her head. "No, it's not that. I just remembered the other Blake will probably be at the party tonight."

Her scowl deepens when Octavia throws her head back and laughs. " _That's_ what got your panties in a twist? Please, everyone here knows the two of you will be attached at the hips within minutes. I don't know why you pretend to hate him anymore, it's obvious he's your favorite person around. " 

Clarke blushes furiously. "Bellamy is still an ass," she grumbles. Really, why can't her friends just let her live in blissful denial? It's the polite thing to do.

Octavia just hums knowingly, "If you say so."

Clarke huffs and crosses her arms over her chest, "I do say so." Octavia just laughs at her, walking towards her shared room with Luna.

"All I'm saying is you two would make a cute couple," Octavia calls over shoulder.

Clarke thinks she might die of a stroke from all the blood rushing to her head. Or is a stroke the one where blood doesn't get to your head? Regardless, Clarke thinks she might die. " _We absolutely would not, Octavia Blake!_ " she shouts at her housemate's retreating back. All she gets for her pain is Octavia's tinkling laugh.

The apple doesn't fall from the tree sometimes.

"What was that all about?" Raven teases. Clarke whips her head to the couch where she sees Raven, Emori, Luna and Lexa all looking at her with curious eyes. Lexa seems particularly focused on Clarke, and her gaze makes Clarke blush more than she thought was possible. She's just going to lay down and die.

Instead, she manages to say, "Nothing. I'm going to pick out my dress for tonight."

"What's tonight?" Lexa asks.

Emori smirks, "Only the best party of the year. Do you have something to wear?"

Lexa squints her eyes at Emori, "I came here to learn, not to party."

Raven guffaws and claps her hands on Lexa's back, startling the new fairy. "I empathize, I really do, o' young one. But some parties are just too good to miss."

Lexa doesn't seem convinced but says anyway, "I wouldn't even have anything to wear. I just brought day clothes."

Raven's smirk just grows. For a fairy of technology, she's weirdly invested in shopping. Well, of the digital kind. "We'll take care of it. Octavia, get your cute butt out here! We've got some digital shopping to do!"

Lexa just gulps.

* * *

Because the universe hates Clarke, the first person she bumps into at the party is Bellamy Blake and his stupid freckles. She freezes as she takes him in. He looks good tonight. _Achingly good_.

He's left his hair free and curly which is super distracting, and his button-down does _amazing_ things for his arms. It's unfair that he looks this good, and Clarke's not allowed to do anything about it.

Though to be fair, she does catch him checking her out as well. He sweeps his gaze over her blue, chiffon, cowlneck dress that she's been saving just for this party. She would never admit this, even on threat to her life, but she felt pretty when he looked at her like that.

But she has an image to uphold.

So instead, she meets his gaze coolly and drawls, "Where's your royal charge? I hope he's not too busy getting assassinated while you're slacking on the job."

Bellamy just smirks, stepping a little more into her personal space and placing a hand on the punch table behind her, effectively trapping her. "I didn't know you cared so much about Roan,"

She's a little overwhelmed because at this distance she can count the freckles on his face and smell his cologne. But she tries really hard not to let him have this. She scoffs, "As if. I'd just be sad if he died because of your attention is elsewhere. It'd be a bad look for him."

He doesn't move away from her, instead bringing a hand up to tuck an errant strand of her hair behind her ear, fingers lightly brushing against her cheek as he does so. "Who could blame me when the subject of my attention is so lovely?" he says deeply. Her breathes stutters in her chest as her face flushes _furiously_. She has no idea what he's trying to do but she's not going to be the one who gives in and moves away first. Not when the prospect of where this is heading is so tantalizing. 

She leans forward slightly into his space, her leg brushing up against his as her arms get dangerously close to his waist. She catches his eyes darting down to her lips. Her heart trips as he leans in slightly. The world seems to melt away as she begins to hyperfocus on what Bellamy is going to do next.

Could this really be it?

He's a breath away from her lips, his warm breath fanning against her mouth, not unlike the warmth of Lexa's flames, when she decides that she _needs_ to know what kissing Bellamy Blake would taste like _right now_. She doesn't think she can live for another second without knowing.

But just as she begins to push forward, desperate to close the gap between them, Emori calls out, "Clarke! There you are!" It's like they've been struck by lightning and Bellamy shoves himself away from Clarke. Clarke, meanwhile, pretends it doesn't sting the way he looks at her in disbelief. _He's_ the one who started this.

Frantically, trying to slow her beating heart, she turns to see Emori and Luna making their way to the punch table, Lexa trailing close to them.

When she sees Lexa though, she gets a feeling that her heart won't stop freaking out anytime soon. Lexa dons a deep maroon sheath with an A-line neck that makes her seem all that more imperious.

"Who's that? I haven't seen her around," Bellamy asks, taking in Lexa. Although, he seems less interested and more curious.

Without taking her eyes off her friends, she murmurs back to him, "That's Lexa, the lost princess of Sparx. I found her on Earth." Bellamy whips his head around to look at her, eyes wide and mouth gaping.

"You're shitting me," he breathes.

Clarke chuckles, "I wish I was. She has the power of the Dragon Flame and everything."

Bellamy lets out a low whistle, "Damn. That's something."

Clarke can't help but agree as she watches Lexa awkwardly make her way through the crowd. "She wants to see Sparx so we're headed there tomorrow," Clarke explains.

Bellamy raises an eyebrow, "That's on the other side of the dimension. How are you guys going to get there?"

Clarke shrugs, "I'd figure I'd just open a portal with my staff."

Bellamy furrows his brows. "Wouldn't a portal covering that much distance drain you? Not to mention the effect that the dark magic that taints that place could have on you."

He has a point there. Sparx is covered with the dark magic from the Ancestral Witches who cursed Sparx as a last resort when Lexa's parents were banishing them to the Dark Realm, Obsidian, where they would never be able to escape. The land was now oozing with volatile, hungry, magic that was desperate to leech off the light of good magic. There was no guarantee that it wouldn't attack her magic.

But they don't really have any other way to get there. Clarke tells him as much.

Bellamy just shakes his head, "Nonsense, I'll take you on the Owl. Jaha won't notice if we take one of the school ships out for a day. Especially when classes haven't even started yet."

Taking a ride on the Specialist's fancy space ship does sound more appealing than risking her magic but Clarke is still skeptical. "Are you sure it would be okay?" she asks, her lips curling downwards. 

Now, Bellamy shrugs, "Someone's gotta make sure you stay in one piece. Who else am I going to annoy if you get swallowed up by dark magic?"

Clarke snickers, "Your concern is greatly appreciated." She sighs, “But yeah, a ride would be great. Be here at six hundred sharp. It'll be a long journey." Bellamy just smiles brightly at that, saluting her, and Clarke can't help the small smile that blooms on her face as well. He's kind of a dork.

At this point, Luna, Lexa and Emori finally make it to them. "Holy moly, this place is _packed_. It took us forever to find you." Emori groans, heading straight for the punch.

Clarke hums, "Where are the others?"

Luna waves her hand, "They disappeared as soon as Zeke and Lincoln showed up."

"Ah."

Clarke can't help but giggle at Bellamy's irritated expression at the mention of his little sister's boyfriend. Clarke just smirks at him, "He's your teammate, you _know_ he means well by Octavia."

Bellamy just crosses his arms, "That doesn't I have to like it."

Clarke rolls her eyes at his overprotective nature. "Heaven forbid, Bellamy Blake actually _likes_ someone," she teases.

He scowls and murmurs, "I like some people." Clarke freezes, he couldn't mean? She shakes her head, no, Octavia was just getting under her skin. Bellamy Blake does not like her. She would _know_ if he did. Right?

"I take it you're a Specialist, too, then?" Lexa asks, mercifully breaking the awkward tension that had settled over Bellamy and Clarke. Though when Clarke meets Lexa's eyes, they're cold. Was Lexa jealous?

Yet another thing for Clarke to be confused about.

Nevertheless, she coughs, blushing furiously. "Right, sorry, introductions. Lexa, this is Bellamy Blake, tool extraordinaire and our ride tomorrow. Bellamy, this is Lexa, the lost princess of Sparx."

Bellamy at least has the decency to bow slightly. "Your highness," he addresses.

Lexa continues, not entirely sure what to do with the bow just yet. Maybe she's hoping if she ignores it, he'll stop. Which is a fair assumption to make. Though, she has a lot to learn before she can truly become a princess. "You’re our ride tomorrow?" she asks.

Clarke nods. "Sparx might be too far for me to portal to, and who knows how the dark magic will interact with mine. It's safer to borrow one of the Specialist's ships to get us there," she explains.

Lexa turns to Bellamy then, who thankfully stopped bowing. "Then I believe thanks are in order, Bellamy Blake," she says primly.

Bellamy looks amused at the awkward princess. "It's my pleasure, Princess Lexa." She's a little surprised at the small flare of jealousy that bubbles up. Which compounded with her own interest in Lexa _and_ Bellamy just makes for a really sexually confused Clarke.

 _He did try to kiss you_ , her brain helpfully supplies. She firmly tells her brain to go fuck itself.

Lexa cringes slightly, "Just Lexa for now. I won't be a princess until I have a kingdom to rule."

"You're planning on reviving Sparx?" Bellamy asks, incredulous.

Lexa nods as if it were obvious. "It is my duty," she states.

Bellamy looks at her quizzically, "Seems pretty princess-y to me. Like someone else I know." He turns to give Clarke a knowing look to which she responds by sticking her tongue out.

What? She's a princess, not a saint.

And it's fine because he sticks his tongue out right back at her. The tool.

"Bellamy, there you are! I'm needed back on Araklyon." Roan Azgeda appears from their left, gracefully walking through the crowds of people like they're parting for him like water. He has a natural air of royalty about him that Clarke can't help but envy. Maybe it's because Araklyon is such a strong militaristic presence whereas Solaria is more of a vacation spot, but people seem to inherently respect Roan's authority more than they would Clarke's.

It only bothers her sometimes.

Bellamy speaks up, "Before we leave, you should probably meet the girls' new housemate."

Roan strides up to them, coming to stand next to Bellamy. "Oh?"

Bellamy nods, and waves towards Lexa. "Prince Roan, meet Princess Lexa of Sparx. Sorry for the title, Lexa," he apologizes.

Lexa nods appreciatively in his direction before turning to Roan, "It's a pleasure, I assume."

Roan, for his part, looks shocked. Or as shocked as the usually stoic man could look. "The lost princess of Sparx? How curious," he muses. Clarke wishes she could slap her hand to her forehead at Roan's antics. Couldn't he have the slightest bit of decorum?

Lexa, however, takes it in stride. "That would be me apparently. I apologize but I don't know much about Araklyon."

Roan hums, taking Lexa in. "I suppose you wouldn't. But my father was quite close to your parents. He died fighting alongside them."

Lexa just purses her lips. "I'm afraid I don't know much about my birth parents either."

Clarke jumps in, "Bellamy's agreed to take us to Sparx tomorrow so Lexa can learn more about its history, and if there's a way to restore it." Lexa looks at her curiously for providing all this information to a relative stranger but while Clarke may be the princess of dimension-favorite wedding location, she knows a good partnership when she sees one. Araklyon would be a good ally for Sparx if it ever entered society again. The alliance between the two was strong in the past, birthing a generation of legendary fighters who defeated the Ancestral Witches. Now, Araklyon could help bring Sparx back into the modern world.

Roan turns to look at Bellamy with a raised eyebrow. "Did he now?" Bellamy flushes a little bit. It was slightly inappropriate to make plans without his charge.

"My apologies, Roan."

Roan is quiet for a moment, pondering, before sighing. "I guess I'll company you as well. I, too, am interested in the ruins of our old ally." He then turns to Lexa. "Araklyon has a proud history of fighting alongside Sparx. You have my word that Araklyon would come to Sparx's aid if it ever needs it."

Lexa raises her eyebrows, "I appreciate the gesture, but excuse me if your word doesn't mean much to me. We just met five minutes ago."

Roan doesn't seem perturbed, instead a slow smile melts onto his, amused. "Well then, I have to tag along so I can prove it to you."

Lexa studies Roan. Clarke doesn't know what Lexa finds in the sly prince but she seems to respect whatever she does find because she nods her head and agrees, "Very well. We're planning on departing from Alfea at six hundred sharp."

"See you then, princess." With that, Roan takes his leave, Bellamy trailing behind. Clarke watches Bellamy leave, thinking that she might've gotten herself into something larger than her. But she catches Bellamy looking back, at her, and she wonders if things will remain the same.

She's pessimistic about her prospects.

* * *

_Far Away in a Frozen Prison_

Ice snakes stand on guard, slithering in circles around a block of ice. Inside, there seems to be a man frozen in place, slumbering in the cold.

Suddenly, a light begins to glow from the man's core. The snakes pause and rear up, ready to attack at any sudden movement. Their charge will not escape this prison. It has been their duty for the last seventeen years.

The man's eyes flash open, glowing orange, his pupils hidden. A smirk stretches across his face like a knife wound, bloody and feral. The ice block begins to rumble ominously before shattering altogether ina burst of dark orange light. The snakes screech as the shards of ice fly and embed themselves in between their scales. Momentarily blinded by the light, they miss the man dust off his shoulders and gloves before turning to the snakes.

They're howling in pain from the ice shards when the man flicks his wrist, a trail of flames engulfing the snakes' tails, crawling up their bodies until they're burning alive. The snakes don't stop shrieking, their shrill cries crashing against the walls of the frozen prison. They crumble into ash just as the walls of the prison begin to collapse from the shockwaves.

The man looks around the crumbling cave, smoothing a hand through his slick, brown hair, his eyes still glowing.

He smirks, "The Dragon Flame has returned to Magix. That's wonderful news." And then, he snaps his fingers and he's gone, just as the prison begins to collapse in on itself, burying the ashes of the snakes and the debris of his prison cage beneath the icy snow.

* * *

Sparks is frozen wasteland.

Clarke wraps her parka tighter around her freezing body. She's the princess of the _sun,_ she doesn't do _cold_. Bellamy notices this and snickers at her. "Your face is so red," he teases.

"Shut up, at least I don't have an icicle hanging off my nose," she snaps back.

His eyes widen as he frantically swipes at his nose. "What? No, there isn't."

Clarke just smirks at him. "No, there wasn't. But it was fun to watch you flail." He glares at her.

"As much as I love banter, can we stay focused on the task at hand? Where the hell is the palace?" Roan mutters from beneath his scarf. He, too, is wrapped from head to toe in winter garments, and still clearly suffering from the cold.

Lexa tilts her head. "I think it's this way," she says, pointing towards the direction of the rising sun.

Bellamy raises an eyebrow. "How can you be so sure? It all looks the same to me."

Lexa's shoulders droop a little at that, and Clarke can tell Bellamy feels a little bad. "I'm not sure, it's like something in my gut is telling me to go in that direction," she says softly.

Clarke walks up to her new friend, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I trust you," she affirms. Lexa turns to look at her and smiles softly, covering Clarke's hand with hers.

"Thank you," Lexa says, giving her hand a small squeeze.

So they head towards the sun. The walk is long and hard. The snow comes up to their knees, and a biting wind picks up twenty minutes into their walk. By the time they make it to anything that begins to resemble the ruins of a city, they're all red and chilled to the bone.

Lexa stops when her feet hit the first steps of the ruin. Her mouth hangs open and her eyes look misty as she takes in the dilapidated buildings, crumbled alleyways and empty streets. The city feels positively _ghastly_. The way the wind blows through the empty buildings makes it seem like they can hear the cries of the people left here to die. Clarke's heart aches at the sight.

She can only imagine how Lexa must feel.

"This is my kingdom," Lexa breathes sadly. She turns to look around her, taking in the ruins. She doesn't cry but Clarke can see the pain in her eyes. This is tearing her apart.

Suddenly, Bellamy jerks, pushing Roan behind him. "Everyone, stay still. Did you see that?" he demands.

Clarke turns to look at Bellamy with a confused look on her face, "See what? There's nothing here but us, Bellamy."

Bellamy just scans their surroundings. "I saw a shadowy figure, I swear."

"I'm afraid you've been watching too many horror films, Bellamy. This is nothing but an empty city," Roan reassures Bellamy, moving to step out of his shadow. But before he can, Bellamy grunts and pushes Roan to the ground just as a bolt of magic whizzes by the girls.

_What the--_

Clarke whips around to find the source of magic. And sure enough, standing at the edge of the city is a man in a long purple cloak.

She glares at him. "Who are you?" she demands, forming balls of light in her hands, just in case.

The man slides his hands into his pockets and strides towards them, a menacing look on his face. Roan and Bellamy push off the ground to stand in front of the girls. Clarke rolls her eyes at their antics.

But as the man gets closer, the hairs on the back of Clarke's need seem to crackle with fear. The closer the man gets, the more she can feel his power. It radiates off of him in waves, seeping through the air like a thick ooze. It wraps around her like a vice, and she feels a little like a deer caught in a trap. This man is otherwordly, and _dangerous_.

They shouldn't be here. They really need to leave.

"Look what we have here. I can't believe my luck," the man says gleefully. Clarke stiffens when she realizes he's looking straight at Lexa. That can't be good.

Bellamy and Roan draw their swords. "Don't come any closer," Roan demands, his knuckles white around the hilt of his sword.

The man pays them no heed and sends them flying with a flick of his wrist. Clarke cries out as their bodies slam into the side of what once used to be a rocking building, their bodies connecting to the stone with a sickening snap before falling to ground, boneless. She turns back around to the man in question, her eyes flaring.

No one hurts her friends like that.

"Winx Charmix!" Clarke calls, summoning her fairy form. She transforms into a fairy, her yellow wings growing her back as her clothes change into a yellow ensemble. Her hands tighten around her staff as it appears in her. Lexa looks on in awe as she changes. She hasn't been able to summon her fairy form since that day on Earth.

Clarke wastes no time with pleasantries before sending a ray of light towards the man. He waves a hand at it, sending her light careening to the side, demolishing the little remains of another building.

The man just sneers, "Pesky little fairy." He snaps her fingers and she goes flying to the side. She screams as her back makes contact with the same wall that Bellamy and Roan were thrown against. Pain explodes all over like little explosions as she falls onto Bellamy and Roan to form an unceremonious pile. They grunt as she lands on them, groggy and disoriented from the impact.

They're helpless to watch as the man strolls up to Lexa, taking her face in his hand. Clarke can't help but scoff internally at Lexa's bravado. The girl is standing alone in her ruined kingdom without access to her magic while a supremely dangerous man holds her. Lexa has nerve.

The man tilts Lexa's face from side to side, inspecting her. "The Dragon Flame has fallen into my hands. How perfect," he murmurs.

This seems to unnerve Lexa enough for her to shake him off of her. "The Dragon Flame is _mine_. Who are you?" she demands.

The man just smiles, "I'm the man who murdered your parents, little girl. Now, I'll take what's mine and finish what I started before your parents rudely interrupted me." With that, he _shoves his hand into Lexa's chest._

Someone's screaming. Clarke's not sure if it's Lexa or if it's her. Using what little strength she has left, Clarke pushes herself off of Bellamy and Roan and takes flight. She's wobbly and weak but she's determined to knock Cage away from Lexa. Cage, however, doesn't even blink when she approaches him. He simply snaps his hand again and she goes flying.

He turns to look at her this time, his eyes glowing orange. "Stay out of affairs that don't concern you, fairy," Cage growls before turning back to Lexa. He shoves his hand further into her chest, and her body writhes with sobs. Cage smiles slowly as Lexa begins to still.

"I found you, little flame. Return to me," Cage coos. But Lexa goes stock still before being shrouded in light. She screams as wings tear from her back and her clothes change. Cage is thrown back, his hand ripped from her chest, as she sends a shockwave of fire from her body.

Lexa's eyes also glow, white unlike Cage's orange. "The Dragon Flame is _mine_ ," Lexa repeats firmly before raising her hands to shoot flames at him. Cage lands on his feet in a crouch, barely tumbling out of the way of Lexa's flames. He forms a ball of dark energy in his hands, shooting towards Lexa who simply steps out of the way.

"You killed my parents, _my kingdom_ , and for that you'll pay the price," Lexa sneers. Clarke watches in horror as Lexa begins to create a large ball of fire, easily twice the size of her. Then, she compresses the ball until it's no larger than a marble. That much pressurized fire is sure to kill Cage.

She's not going to kill Cage, is she?

Cage, for his part, doesn't seem bothered. Instead, he taunts the volatile Lexa. "Your parents got in my way. And for that, they paid the ultimate price: their lives. I'm going to enjoy snuffing you out."

Lexa cries out and sends the ball flying. Cage just smirks and dodges the tiny projectile. Then, Clarke blinks and Cage is in front of Lexa, one hand around her throat, holding her in place.

"Now you listen to me, little flame. I'm going to take that flame from you and then I'm going take the world. Except there's no one around to throw me into prison this time around," he growls into her face. Lexa just scowls and sends another shockwave of fire from her body, pushing Cage away.

She moves quickly, charging at Cage, sending fireballs his way. "I'll stop you," Lexa grinds out. Cage tries to dodge the fireballs but he eventually gets hit. He tumbles to the ground, clutching his chest where the fire has seared away parts of his cloak, revealing burning flesh. Before he can get up, another fireball hits him. And another. And another.

"Lexa, stop! You're going to kill him!" Clarke cries out. She struggles to her feet, to get to her friend before she does something she'll regret. There has to be more to this story than what Cage is telling them. After all, if he's the bad guy then he'd want to embellish the story to suit his needs.

Cage finally crumples to the ground, unconscious from the multiple burns. Lexa goes to create another fireball but Clarke catches her arm just in time.

Lexa whips her head to glare at Clarke, her eyes still glowing. "Let me go, Clarke," she demands.

Clarke shakes her vigorously. "Killing him won't make you feel better. Let's take him to Indra, maybe she'll have more answers."

Lexa just bares her teeth at her. "On the contrary, I think killing him will make me _overjoyed_ ," she snarls.

Clarke narrows her eyes and moves to stand in between her friend and the madman. She honestly doesn't know _why_ she's protecting him, she knows she'd be the same if she was in Lexa's shoes.

But she also knows some part of her would want somebody to stop her from becoming a monster like Cage.

"If you do this, you'll be the same as him. I won't let that happen to you. You'll have to go through me first," Clarke states, challenging Lexa to throw that fireball.

Lexa studies her before scowling. The glow in her eyes fade as she extinguishes the fireball. "Very well. Let's try it your way," she sighs.

Clarke lets out a sigh of relief and turns to grab Cage.

Only to find an empty spot, tatters of clothes where Cage used to lay.

He was gone.

* * *

Lexa doesn't speak to her on the way back to Alfea. Lexa doesn't speak to _anyone_ , retreating to the back of the main cabin with a fierce glare on her face.

No one tries to talk to Lexa, either.

Clarke feels bad for her friend but she can't help but feel relieved she didn't have to witness her friend murder someone. Sneaking a peek at Lexa, Clarke wonders if she really knows the girl she brought to Magix at all.

She thought she did. She thought Lexa was a little prickly and intense but felt duty-bound to a kingdom she'd never laid eyes on. She thought Lexa would want to do _good_.

But she supposes seeing your kingdom in ruins breaks the ties of that bond. What is a princess without her kingdom?

Free.

Free to act however she pleases when there's no one to answer to, no one to look after. Free to chase her own desires, wherever they may take her.

Clarke shudders at the thought of that much freedom. It must be lonely.

"She'll be okay, you know?" Bellamy's voice startles her out of her thoughts. He slides his eyes towards hers from his spot in the co-captain chair.

Clarke shakes her head. "I stopped her from getting her justice. I wouldn't forgive me anytime soon," she explains.

"Well, it's a good thing Lexa isn't you," Bellamy counters.

Clarke takes another peek at the scowling girl, looking as destructive as fire could look. She still looks beautiful like this. "I wonder if that's for better or worse," she muses.

At that, Bellamy stays quiet for a moment. Then, he says, "Only time will tell." She hums. Indeed, only time will tell.

But in the meantime, Clarke resolves herself to supporting her friend as much as she can. She gets up and walks over to Lexa who doesn't turn away from Clarke's gaze. Instead, she glares at Clarke furiously.

"What do you want?" she snaps.

Clarke crosses her arms and glares back at her. "I'm sorry Cage got away but we were out of league. We didn't have strength to defeat him nor the knowledge on who he is and what he's really done. How do we know he really killed your parents? He seems like the type of guy to make things fit his agenda," Clarke argues.

Lexa squints her eyebrows at Clarke, "What incentive would he have for lying to me?"

Clarke shrugs, "Maybe he wanted to get you angry, off-balance. Maybe he wanted your flame to react. Maybe it's easier to steal that way. We don't know what he wanted."

Lexa scoffs, "It seemed pretty clear to me."

Clarke places her hand on Lexa's cheek, making the other girl look at her in shock. "If he really did murder your parents, I'll give you light to help you aim the fireball. But until then, we should get some answers," Clarke soothes genuinely.

Lexa's eyes widen and Clarke see her swallow anxiously. Well that's interesting.

Lexa blushes, shaking Clarke's hand off of her cheek, and turning her head slightly to the side. "Very well. We'll get some answers," she amends. Clarke smiles. She's glad she got through.

* * *

The boys drop the girls off at Alfea's gate, Bellamy winking at Clarke as he heads back into the Owl. Clarke blushes furiously and flips him off. What is he playing at? Bellamy just smiles at her reaction.

Roan promises Lexa that he'll do some digging of his own about Cage and his role in the destruction of Sparx. He would like to see the man who destroyed the planet brought to justice. Lexa nods stiffly and offers her thanks. Roan reminds Lexa that Araklyon will stand by Sparx's side till the very end. If she needs anything, he'll be glad to provide his assistant. With that, he steps on the Owl and they're off.

The first thing they do is run to Indra's office. Luckily, Indra is free to take them when they get there. They tell her everything from the ruins to Cage. Indra listens carefully but swears when they get to Cage.

"He was supposed to be locked up for all eternity," Indra explains.

"Just who is he?" Clarke presses, "What did he do?"

Indra sighs, turning her back to them as she gazes out her window. "It was a long time ago. The Ancestral Witches somehow managed to find a piece of the Dragon Flame, which had been scattered around the world when the Great Dragon perished," Indra explains. "They took the flame and infused it with dark magic, then turned a flame into a boy who they would raise to be Cage."

Lexa's eyes widen, "He has the Dragon Flame, too?"

Indra turns back to them and nods solemnly. "Yes, he does," she states. "He was supposed to take over the Magix dimension for the Ancestral Witches but your parents locked him away before he could finish his task."

Lexa's brows furrow. "So he didn't kill my parents?"

Indra shakes her head. "No, that would've been the Ancestral Witches. Angered by the imprisonment of Cage, they went on a rampage against your parents and their allegiance of warriors. The witches threw all of their magic at the warriors. Many perished in battle." Indra has a faraway look in her eyes, "Gaia's father was lost to the battle."

Clarke is stunned to hear that information. Neither Indra nor Head of Discipline Gaia ever mention Gaia's father. The only thing anyone knew about the family that runs Alfea with an iron fist is that Gaia grew up in these halls. They've been here longer than any of students, and many of the professors even.

Lexa, however, kept pushing. "How did the witches kill my parents?" she demands, her gaze positively fiery.

Indra's eyes seem to clear and she snaps her attention back to them. "Your parents devised a plan to lock the witches in Obsidian, the dark realm. They would destroy the witches’ mortal bodies so the witches couldn't leave Obsidian. But the witches had the last word when as they were being pulled into Obsidian, they managed to kill your parents and curse Sparx to wither and die. Now, they're locked up forever."

Lexa squinted at Indra. "You thought Cage would be locked up forever, too. How do you know the witches won't get free?" she questions.

Indra purses her lips in a thin line. "I suppose you're right. I have a theory that Cage was able to escape due his flame reacting to yours when you entered Magix. I'm sure he's likely going to try and free the witches, as well," she posits.

Clarke stiffens at the thought of the Ancestral Witches returning. They're the stuff of nightmares.

"That can't happen,” Clarke decries. She's terrified of what would happen if the witches are freed.

Indra nods firmly at Clarke's tone. "You are correct, which is why you girls need to stop Cage before he can free them."

Clarke's jaw drops. "What? Why us? We're just second years. There's surely more powerful wizards and fairies who could do that job."

Indra looks at Lexa and says, "Because she is only one who has the power to stop Cage: the Dragon Flame." She then turns to Clarke, "And she'll need help. Do you think you girls could manage that?"

Clarke gulps but tries to seem unafraid. If it's true and Lexa's the only one who can stop him, then Clarke sure as hell isn't going to let her go alone. She nods, "Yeah, we'll help. I'm sure the girls would be willing to help, too."

Indra nods, "Perfect. Next, we have to decide your next moves."

Lexa scowls. "Wait a minute, how are we supposed to even fight Cage? I can barely control my transformation and he swatted Clarke away like a fly. He's too powerful as we are now." Clarke cringes at the reminder.

"It wasn't _that_ bad," Clarke protest weekly.

Lexa lifts one perfectly shaped eyebrow at her. "Bellamy had to carry you back on the ship." Clarke blushes furiously and decides to bite her tongue. The memory of being cradled in Bellamy's arms was a lot for her. She should probably stop while she's ahead.

So she turns to Indra and asks, "Yeah, maybe we might need some help."

Indra nods her head. "Then I suppose it's time for you fairies to earn you Enchantix form. Usually we want until you're third years but Cage will not wait for your third year to keep moving forward on his plans."

"Enchantix? What's that?" Lexa asks.

Indra explains, "It's the highest form a fairy can achieve. Enchantix fairies are considered some of the strongest magicians in the dimensions. Not only is it extremely powerful, it gives fairy dust which they can use to undo dark magic, and lets you miniaturize."

Clarke likes the sound of that. "Great, so how do we get Enchantix?" she asks.

Indra looks at the two of them sternly. "You do not get Enchantix, you have to _earn_ it. Fairies who do brave and noble acts for the dimension are rewarded with the Enchantix power. It's up to you girls when and how you receive the transformation."

Clarke huffs and falls back into her seat. "Great, just great. It couldn't have been in a wand or a magical box," she grumbles.

Lexa ignores her in favor of nodding towards Indra, "We'll make it happen. Thank you for your guidance." With that Lexa stands up abruptly, and leaves the room in a flourish. She's a little melodramatic, Clarke thinks. But then again, it looks cute on her.

Clarke stands to follow Lexa. She bows her head slightly at the headmistress. "Thank you, Headmistress," she says.

Indra just turns back to her window. "Your journey won't be easy. Cage was one of the worst villains in Magix history. He's cruel and ruthless and worst of all, cautious. He'll keep his cards close to his chest. Be careful, Clarke," she warns.

Clarke nods, determined, "We will be." And then she, too, leaves the room.

Outside, she finds Lexa leaning against a wall, her arms crossed and her face pinched like she had a sour lemon. Clarke walks up to her and gently asks, "Are you okay?"

Lexa scoffs, "I let the bastard get into my head. He didn't even kill my parents but I was about to kill him."

Clarke puts her hands on Lexa's shoulders. "But you didn't kill him. Now we know who to go after. And my promise to you still stands. We'll get them," she says genuinely. She wants to see this through to the end.

Lexa looks at her for a moment, studying Clarke. Before Clarke can begin to squirm, however, Lexa leans in and presses her lips to hers. Clarke freezes. Lexa's lips are nearly hot but she's applying just the right pressure that it seems to spread warmth through her body like a flush of rain. It feels intoxicating.

But for some reason, as Clarke begins to lose herself in the kiss, Bellamy's face appears in her mind. She pulls away in shock. 

"Sorry, I just--" Clarke tries to explain but Lexa just looks her coolly.

"You like him, don't you?" Lexa asks directly. Clarke flushes at the implication. She's embarrassed but she doesn't want to lie to Lexa. She deserves more than that. 

So Clarke just weakly admits, "I think so." Clarke is starting to realize that maybe she isn't as confused as she thought, maybe she had invested too much into this thing with Bellamy before the _thought_ of Lexa had even begun to form. Maybe, she had already made her decision before the fiery fairy had blasted her way into Clarke's life.

Lexa just nods, "I wasn't sure but I at least wanted to try." She brings a hand up to caress Clarke's cheek while pressing another soft kiss to her lips. Clarke lets out a little squeak at the sensation. Kissing Lexa _feels good_. But she can't shake the feeling that she's doing wrong by a certain someone for liking it. Which is ridiculous because they're just friends. He has no claim to her heart.

But when she briefly imagines it being Bellamy's hand on her cheek, she has a feeling it might already be too late for that.

Lexa pulls back and rests her forehead against Clarke's, her breath heavy. She smiles softly at Clarke, "Thank you for helping me."

Clarke just lets out a small laugh, "Well, I keep my word." Lexa just hums and pulls away.

"We should probably go gather the others," she says, redirecting the conversation which Clarke is grateful for. It gives her a moment to gather herself and calm her racing heart.

She looks at Lexa, "Yeah, let's go get them."

* * *

_Somewhere in a Dark Room_

Three young ladies--a blonde, a brunette and a raven-haired girl--stand gathered around a boiling cauldron.

"Lorelai, get the frog's tongues," The blonde girl, Josephine, demands as she stirs the heavy liquid. When they got the call from their masters, they all rushed to the meeting spot. Now, to make the potion to speak with them.

Lorelai hands the frogs tongue to Josephine who drops them unceremoniously into the cauldron. "Ontari, begin the chant," she directs the brunette. She nods and begins speaking in a language forgotten to the world. When she reaches the second verse, Josephine and Lorelai chime in. Josephine puts the large spoon aside so that she can link hands with her fellow witches.

A gust of wind begins to blow around the room as the girls eyes begin to glow and they start to levitate. Their voices get progressively louder as they reach the climax of the spell. With a shout, the cauldron begins to boil intensely, sending a large plume of smoke up their way. The witches gasp as the smoke enters their mouths, pushing into their bodies. They struggle to breathe and begin to fall to the ground, clutching their throats.

Finally, the wind dies down and the girls' heads slump forward.

Josephine is the first to lift her head, her eyes glowing red. "Ah, what a lovely body you have here, Josie," Josephine says but her voice is deeper and scratchier than regular. Josephine runs her hands up and down her body, feeling every curve and stretch of muscle.

Ontari and Lorelai raise their heads, too, with their eyes glowing red.

Ontari cackles as dark clouds begin to circle her. "Yes, these are quite fine bodies, indeed."

Lorelai rolls her eyes at her sister's antics. "Quit fooling, we don't have much time," she snaps.

Josephine rolls her eyes but sighs, "Very well, Alie." She snaps her fingers at their older sister. "Nia, focus."

Nia sneers and lets the dark clouds fall. "Fine, Simone."

Josephine--or Simone--tsks at her sisters. But then she begins to address the witches inside of their bodies. "Our son Cage has escaped his prison. He's going to need help with his plan. Go find him and offer your services, guide him with our lessons so he does not fail a second time. He will free us from this hell dimension and then the world will be ours." With that, Josephine's back seizes, arching up into a harsh angle as smoke begins to pour out of her mouth. Ontari and Lorelai soon follow.

When the smoke has cleared from the girls and retreated back into the cauldron, the girls stay kneeling on the ground, coughing.

Ontari scowls, "That's such an awful spell. Why can't the old hags just leave us a message?"

Lorelai snorts, standing up and brushing herself off. "Because they're theatrical as all hell," Lorelai sneers.

Josephine cracks her neck, the snap resonating through the room. She then looks to her fellow witches, "Regardless, we have our next move."

* * *

The rest of the girls agreed easily to help out Lexa to Clarke's surprise.

Octavia just shrugs. "If there's a bad guy, of course, we're going to help you guys stop him," she says as if its the most obvious thing in the world.

Raven slings an arm around Luna, smiling toothily. "And plus, checking out old cities and sources of magic? Beyond cool."

Luna just smiles affectionately at Raven, rolling her eyes. "We're not going to have much time for sightseeing, I presume."

Emori just smirks. "There's _always_ enough time to sightsee."

Lexa looks a little overwhelmed from the outpour of support. "Thank you," she says quietly. "I can't repay you enough."

Raven just shakes her head, "You're our friend now, and we always have each other's backs."

Lexa smiles softly, "I think I like that." Clarke can't help but feel warm and fuzzy that her friends are beginning to accept Lexa. She was worried for a second there that they wouldn't get along and she'd be stuck in the middle forever. But that doesn't seem to be the case here, and now Clarke feels confident that whatever Cage throws at them, they'll be okay.

"We need to figure out what Cage's next move is. Indra said he's likely going to try and break the Ancestral Witches out of Obsidian," Clarke explains, switching into battle mode.

Emori raises an eyebrow, skeptical. "Isn't Obsidian sealed off forever? How would he be able to open it?" she asks.

Luna clears her throat and cuts in, "I may have an idea." Everyone turns to look at her, and she continues, "The oceans of Magix hold gates to various places in the dimension and out of it. There's even a portal for Earth. But you need a selkie, a mermaid gatekeeper, to use their magic to open the gates."

"So we just need to find the selkie for Obsidian and make sure Cage never gets his hands on her," Octavia suggests.

But Luna shakes her head. "There is no key to Obsidian. Emori was right it's sealed off forever. _But_ the legends of Andros say that if you hold all of the selkie's powers, you can open a door to anywhere."

Clarke's ice goes cold once she realizes what Luna is suggesting. "You're not saying he's going to attack all the selkies. Can they even survive without their magic?" she asks, horrified.

"No, they cannot. And what's worse is that if the balance of the ocean is disturbed so greatly by the absence of selkies, the entirety of the ocean kingdoms could collapse, including my own, Andros," Luna explains solemnly.

Raven swears. "Well _shit_."

Well shit, indeed.

* * *

Cage growls, throwing the maps that he was studying off of the table. These maps are centuries old. He's not going to be able to find the location of the selkies on these pieces of garbage.

He begins to pace aggressively, turning over idea after idea in his head. The selkies are his only real option to breaking his mistresses out of Obsidian. While he powered up enough to break out of prison, the boost that came from his twin Dragon Flame was only temporary. And being in that frozen prison for so long had left him weaker than before. He wasn't strong enough to cast a portal spell of that magnitude. He needs the selkies.

Suddenly, a whirlwind of black clouds appears in his study. He swears and covers his face as the smoke billows wildly across the room. When the smoke dies down, he uncovers his face to see three young girls smirking at him.

"So you're Cage. You're shorter than I thought you'd be," The blonde muses.

He growls and snaps his fingers, sending the three girls careening into the walls as magical shackles pin their arms and legs. "Who are you? How did you find me?" he barks.

The girls just keep smirking. The blonde speaks again, "Chill dude, the mistresses sent us to help you. They say you're into world domination which we can get behind."

Cage blinks, "The Ancestral Witches sent you?"

The brunette rolls her eyes. "That's what Josie said, isn't it?" she snarks. Cage glares at her and snaps his fingers again, and a magical cover places itself over the petulant girl's mouth. The brunette’s eyes widen in rage as she begins to struggle futilely against her bonds.

The blonde doesn't seem to care about her friend because she keeps going without sparing her friend a glance. Interesting. "The hags said you would need help, that you're up against the Winx girls. Well, we have some experience with the troublesome fairies," Josie explains.

At that Cage pauses. "The Winx girls? Those pesky fairies? They're pitiful. Only the blue one seems to be of worth, and that's likely because of her flame."

The blonde--Josie--rolls her eyes. "They're dumb on their own but when you get the whole group together, they're . . . troublesome."

Cage raises an eyebrow. "It seems like you've had your difficulties with these girls," he remarks smugly.

Josie just scoffs, "We really weren't trying that hard to kill them. We just wanted to make them cry a little bit."

Cage walks closer to the girls, studying each one. They're all quite young, barely even twenty, but their eyes are full of rage and hatred. There's something twisted about these girls.

Nevertheless, he asks, "What use would I have for playground bullies?" He cups the blonde's face with one hand by her chin, staring directly into her.

She glares back, her eyes flashing. Suddenly, there's a burst of ice forming around her shackles, and then she's breaking free, using the wall as leverage as she brings her feet to his chest, shoving him away. In a flurry, the shackles on the other two girls are broken, and they're out as well.

Josie stalks over to Cage, crouching down to meet his eyes from his spot on the ground. "We're much more than playground bullies, and you'd do best to remember that," she snarls in his face, her breath freezingly cold against his skin.

He hums realizing he might've been hasty to judge these girls. "My apologies, then," he offers as he stands up, brushing himself off. "I'd be grateful to have three young witches as powerful as you on my side."

The raven-haired girl snorts, "Kiss ass."

Cage pretends he didn't hear her. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, after all. "So where shall we begin ladies?" he drawls, sweeping his arms out as he gestures to the rest of the room.

Josie smirks. "We have a plan that'll kill two birds with one stone: separate the girls and find mortal bodies for hags to escape in," she says menacingly.

Cage raises an eyebrow, "Please share with the class, then."

Josie begins to strut around his office, trailing her fingers against every surface, leaving a thin sheet of ice wherever her fingers touch. Cage tries not to roll his eyes at her antics. "First, the witches need bodies to escape from Obsidian. Why not take someone close to the girls? We only need three bodies so that'll split the group in half, especially if you're off trying to get the key to Obsidian. They'll be forced to split up, and they're pathetic in smaller groups," Josie explains.

Cage mulls this over. It's not a terrible idea. It'll give him time to find the selkies and drain their powers while the witches toy with the girls. "Alright, let's do it."

Ontari squints at him. "How are you going to get the key to Obsidian, though? It's locked up forever," she asks.

Cage just smirks at her. "I have a plan or two of my own," he states, his eyes flashing orange at thought of his victory becoming realized.

Magix won't know what hit them.

* * *

Back at Alfea, the girls are preparing for their trip to the ocean. Being the fairy of waves, Luna doesn't need a potion to breathe underwater but the rest of the girls do. They're pouring over the ingredients to make sure they get the right measurements. Emori had stepped out earlier to grab snacks for everyone while they worked.

"And we're sure this is going to work?" Clarke asks skeptically, eyeing the purple concoction. Raven and Octavia are in charge of making the potions as the fairy of technology and the fairy of nature should have some expertise in making potions. But Clarke was in potions with them during their first year. Sometimes, she still finds blue soot in her hair.

Raven nods, "It should. I tweaked the formula a little bit so it would last longer but we'll still need to bring a few extra vials with us just in case."

Clarke isn't convinced but she certainly wouldn't have better luck with the potion so guesses she'll just have to put her trust in Octavia and Raven.

She really hopes this works. She turns to look around for Lexa. They hadn't really spoken since their kiss (even though it was only a few hours ago) but the young fairy seemed to withdraw into herself as the other girls began to prepare for their journey. Clarke worries about her.

Octavia's phone begins to ring, and Clarke can hear her grumbling as she picks it up, Roan's holographic visage blooming into space above Octavia's phone.

"What do you want, Roan? I'm in the middle of something here," she snaps into the phone. She's not particularly fond of the prince of her country. She says it's because he hid her all her favorite snacks when they were little but Clarke thinks it's probably more than that.

Octavia pauses in her stirring as Roan speaks, her eyebrows furrowing. "No, I haven't heard from Bell. What do you mean he's missing?" she asks, frantic.

Clarke's head whips around at Octavia's question _. Bellamy was missing?_ Her heart sinks at the thought. She jogs over to Octavia, placing her ear on the other side of the phone. Octavia tilts the phone outwards so Clarke can hear better.

Roan is speaking, "No one has seen him since yesterday. At first, I thought he stepped out to get supplies or run errands but then he never came back."

Clarke's blood runs cold. Where the hell is Bellamy? With everything going on, Clarke can't help but suspect the worst. What if Cage got him to get to them?

Before they could ask any more questions, Roan growls as Murphy's voice cuts in, "Let me talk to the girls! Emori hasn't been answering my messages."

Clarke's eyes widen when she realizes she hasn't seen her friend in a few hours. She turns to look at the other girls who seem equally horrified.

Raven nods, "I'm going to try a tracking spell. Maybe we could get a hit on Emori's location." She runs into her room to grab something of Emori's. She comes back out with Emori's hairbrush and whips out her mini-laptop. Raven opens a compartment on the side of the laptop, dropping a few strands of Emori's hair in. The compartment closes and Raven begins to type furiously.

"What's going on over there?" Murphy growls.

Clarke answers him, "Raven's trying a tracking spell. We haven't seen Emori in a few hours."

Murphy swears, "Where the hell did they go?"

"Holy shit," Raven breathes, eyes locked onto her screen.

"What did you find?" Luna demands, walking over to Raven.

Raven just looks up at her friends, horrified. "She's in Mount Weather, right by a tear in time-space."

"What does that mean?" Clarke asks.

"It _means_ that she's very close to a potential portal to Obsidian," Raven explains.

"How the hell did she get _there_?" Octavia cries out. Then, her eyes widen, "Is my brother there, too?"

Raven grimaces, "There are five other bodies in the vicinity. He could be."

The wheels turn in Clarke's head. "Wait, five other people? Who are they?" she asks.

Raven shakes her head. "It's impossible for me to find out unless I have something that belongs to that person, and since we don't know who else is there, I can't do anything."

Just then, the air begins to crackle and spark. Clarke yelps as a small bolt of lightning scratches against her skin. "What the fuck?"

Everyone turns their heads to watch in amazement as a window appears. There, on the side, sit Bellamy, Emori, and _her mother, the Queen of Solaria_. They're on their knees with shackles around their ankles, and their arms tied up high above their heads. Clarke can make out bruises spattered across their bodies. What the hell is going on here?

Then, Josephine Lightbourne comes into view, smirking sadistically like the psychopath she is. "Hi, girls, long time no chat, huh?" she drawls.

Octavia snarls, "What the hell are you doing to my brother, you witch?" Octavia looks ready to jump through the window and drag Josephine out by her teeth.

Josephine just tsks, waving Octavia off. "He's going to be a mortal vessel for the Ancestral Witches, it's quite the honor."

Everyone pales at the implication. Their friends and family are going to _die._ They have to save them.

Suddenly, Zeke's voice floats in from the phone. "Um, I hate to interrupt but you know those tracker spells we put on the selkies to keep an eye on them? Yeah, the selkie for the Gate to Earth just lost her light. I think he's found the selkies' location." They all look at the phone in horror.

The Trix seem to have their friends, Cage is going after the selkies. They're in an impossible situation, they can't be in both places at one time. If they go after Cage, they'll lose Abby, Bellamy, and Emori to the witches. If they go after the witches, Cage will be able to open a portal to Obsidian. It's a lose-lose situation.

Lorelai comes on screen, smirking. She leans her head against Josephine's shoulder. "So what's it going to be girls? Your loved ones or the world?" And with that, the window disappears, leaving them shellshocked like a tornado just blew on by.

Lexa is the first one to speak. "Who were those girls?" she asks.

"They're a group of evil witches who've had it out for us since day one. They're connected to the Ancestral Witches somehow which makes them more dangerous than annoying," Octavia grinds out.

Clarke runs her hands through her hair frustrated. "I didn't even think to consider the Trix could be involved. If it's about the Ancestral Witches, of course, they'd be helping out."

Raven scoffs, "None of us saw this coming, Clarke. You can't blame yourself."

Clarke laughs sardonically. "Have you met me?" she asks rhetorically.

Raven opens her mouth to argue but then thinks about it. "You're right," she says, nodding.

"Well, what's the plan, then? We can't be in two places at once," Luna reminds them.

Lexa nods, "We'll have to split up. One team goes to Mount Weather, the other goes to the ocean kingdoms."

Octavia glares, "We're stronger together"

Lexa just meets her heated glare with a level eye. "It's the only way to prevent both from happening."

Zeke agrees, "It seems like the best option. Lincoln and I can stay here and monitor both groups while you guys fight."

"The royal prick and I are coming with you," Murphy states. "I'm going to get Emori back and Roan can get Bellamy."

Clarke shakes her head, "No, Roan should go on the ocean team. Octavia can take care of Bellamy." Her friend nods vigorously at the idea.

Wells, Luna's betrothed, also pops into frame. "I'll go with the ocean team. I need to protect my kingdom as well." Luna nods approvingly at her fiancé. Luna may not be pleased with the arrangement, but she had grown to care deeply for the prince as the years past. Now, she was almost looking forward to marrying him.

But she hasn't told him that, yet.

Clarke taps her lips with her finger, thinking. "Okay, so why don't we have Luna, Raven, Roan, and Wells go to the ocean while Lexa, Octavia, Murphy and I go to Mount Weather. Lincoln and Zeke can be our command center."

"Why am I going to Mount Weather?" Lexa inquires.

Clarke looks at her friend and explains, "If Cage's flame reacts to your flame when it's close by, we should keep you as far from him as possible. It's not a risk I'd be willing to take."

Lexa considers this for a moment before yielding, "Alright, Mount Weather it is."

Clarke turns to the holographic boys. "When the soonest you can get here?" she asks.

"We'll be there within the hour," Roan promises.

As the hologram disappears, Clarke can't help but fear that something terrible is going to happen tonight.

* * *

They get to Mount Weather in record time. It may have been because her mind was so preoccupied with the task in front of them that Clarke's mind was racing. Time outside of her brain moved in slow motion as her thoughts spun in circles, trying to strategize their confrontation. But before Clarke could feel confident in any plan, they were there.

Everyone is quiet and tense as they unbuckle from their seats and disembark the Specialist ship. Murphy uses a tracking device that Zeke gave him to follow Bellamy's trail. Everyone seems to be holding their breath as they delve deeper and deeper into the ominous mountain.

Lexa looks around the inner caves, taking in the scratches and broken lighting. "What is this place?" she asks.

Octavia is the one to answer her, "Somewhere where something terrible happened."

Lexa raises an eyebrow. "That's quite ominous and ambiguous," she remarks.

Clarke sighs and launches into the full explanation. "Mount Weather used to be where an infamous group of fairy hunters lived. They were envious of the Earth fairy's magic so they hunted them down one by one, draining them of their magic and tearing off their wings. They would bring them back to Mount Weather as this is where their magic was the strongest, and do the deed here. They kept going until they had killed every fairy on Earth."

Lexa's quiet for a moment before saying, "Well, they didn't get all of them." Clarke looks over to see Lexa wearing a troubled expression. Her heart pangs as she realizes that what's usually vibrant and magical to her has not been the same to Lexa. Ever since she's stepped foot into Magix, she's only been faced with tragedy and despair.

"Do you ever regret coming to Magix?" Clarke blurts out before she can stop herself.

"No," is Lexa's immediate answer. "It might be full of evil and tragedy but it also has my kingdom. I wouldn't trade that for anything else."

Clarke smiles softly, there might just be a princess in Lexa yet. But she lets the topic slide and instead says, "You have us, too."

Lexa's eyes widen at that before a small smile crawls onto her face. "Yeah, I guess I do have you guys, too," she murmurs.

Suddenly, Murphy calls out from ahead of them. "Guys, they're in this room!" he shouts and sprints into a large opening to their left. The girls swear and take off after him.

As they break through into the clearing, Clarke's heart stutters as she sees her mother, Emori and Bellamy. They look even worse in person.

"Bell!" Octavia cries, rushing to her brother.

At the sound of his sister's voice, Bellamy drags his head up, eyes widen in alarm. "No, Octavia, don't come any closer. It's a tr--" he's cut off as Octavia screams. A bolt of lightning rains down in front of her, nearly missing her face as Octavia jumps back.

Everyone looks up to see the Trix levitating high in the air, the same twisted smirks on their faces.

They float down to them, their magic crackling in the air around them. "Well, well look who finally decided to join us," Josephine snarks.

Clarke glares at the evil witches. "Let them go or we _will_ end you," she snarls back at the witches.

Josephine just titters, her fellow witches snickering alongside her. "And how are you going to do that, little fairy? Your pesky fairy magic isn't as strong here as it would be outside." Josephine trails her cold hand across the cave wall. "It's awfully fascinating what happens to places once they've been exposed to large amounts of dark magic, to see how _corrupted_ they've become." Josephine moves to cup her mother's face. Abby whimpers as the movement likely strains against her wounds.

The sound of Abby's cries goes straight to Clarke's heart, like an arrow. She sees red. _How dare she touch her mother._

"You'll see just how strong I am," Clarke growls. "Winx Charmix!" She hears Octavia and Lexa shout behind, initiating their own transformations. In the back of her head, she's surprised that Lexa can summon her fairy form on command so quickly, but Clarke's not going to question it right now. Right now, all she can think about is getting the witch's hands off of her mother.

As soon as she transforms, Clarke is off. She's shooting light ray after light ray at Josephine who just flings them away like they're nothing.

Meanwhile, Octavia and Lexa attack Ontari and Lorelai respectively while Murphy sneaks over the chains.

"I'm here, babe, I'm here," he soothes Emori as he works on picking the locks. Emori just smiles softly at Murphy, too weak to put up much of a fight. Just as Murphy pulls the last lock open, a shadow looms over him. Emori's eyes widen as she sees Ontari raising her hand.

"And what do we have here?" Ontari drawls, a potent cloud of dark clouds circling around her frame.

"Murphy, look out!" she cries but it's too late. Ontari sends Murphy flying, right off the edge of the clearing. Emori screams as Murphy tumbles down into the dark abyss of Mount Weather. Before Ontari can turn her focus back to Emori, she shouts with every last bit of magic and strength she has left.

"Winx Charmix!" And just like that, the fairy of music dives after her lover, desperate to save him.

Clarke witnesses this from the corner of her eyes, her heart dropping as fast as Murphy did as Emori disappears below the clearing. Is Emori even in a good enough state to make it back?

Because she's distracted by Emori and Murphy, she fails to notice Josephine taking aim at her. Clarke is knocked back roughly as a ball of ice slams into her back, tearing through her skin as the shards shatter. She falls to her knees with a loud keen, her back burning and freezing at the same time. She hears Bellamy cry out but all she can focus on is the pain shooting through her back like lightning bolts.

Josephine strolls over to her, yanking her head up by her hair. Clarke cries out in pain at the sudden movement.

"You know, I was going to bring you to be Simone's vessel but there just wasn't a good time to snatch you. But now that you're here," Josephine trails off, meeting Clarke's eyes with nothing but malice and promises of pain. "Now that you're here, we can just use you instead. No need to get your mother involved."

Josephine drags Clarke over to her mother by her hair, Clarke crying out every time her back rubs against the stone floor. She's not sure if there's any skin left on her back. Josephine throws Clarke towards the wall where her mother sits, her heading thumping against the wall dangerously.

Her mother looks over her with extreme worry, "Clarke, honey, you have to get out of here. Let them take me, you'll do better for the world than I ever could."

Clarke just coughs into her hand, and she grimaces when she sees spatters of blood on her palm. She wipes her hands against her orange shorts before snapping at her mother, "Don't be ridiculous. We're both getting out of here _alive._ "

Josephine laughs, "Oh, you think we're going to let your mother _live_? No, she's seen too much. She's got to go." With that, Josephine summons a large icicle, sharp and pointed.

The next few moments happen in slow motion. Josephine hurtles the icicle towards her mother's heart. Clarke screams. Clarke lunges in front of her mother. The icicle embeds itself into her side. She nearly passes out from the pain.

She's aware of Abby crying over her, frantic words spilling from her lips as blood leaves Clarke's body in waves. She thinks Octavia and Bellamy are crying, too.

Josephine growls, "Why do you have to go any ruin everything? Now your mother is going to be the vessel for Simone, and it's _all your fault_. This one is on you." Josephine points her finger at Clarke who doesn't even have the strength to muster up a comeback.

Just as Clarke begins to fade, she sees a light emanating from her body. She gasps as strong magic begins to flow through her veins. Her body rises and her Charmix form disappears as a new, regal form takes its place. Large golden wings spawn from her back while she's wrapped in a golden tunic dress. She can feel the magic pulling at her wounds, slowly stitching them back together.

"Winx Enchantix!" she shouts, instinctively.

The light fades and Clarke is floating in the air, as good as new. She turns around and takes in her new wings. She earned her Enchantix form. She begins to smirk, turning back to Josephine who looks _scared._

Damn right, she should be scared.

"What were you saying, Josephine?" Clarke taunts. Josephine just stutters as Clarke uses her staff to send a powerful wave of light towards her. Josephine cries out as the light sends her flying, littering her skin with small burns from the intense sunlight. She hits the wall with a sickening crunch, crumpling to the ground boneless.

"Take that, you witch," Clarke gloats.

"Holy shit, Clarke, you got your Enchantix form!" Octavia exclaims, looking at Clarke in wonder.

"It's beautiful," Lexa chimes in. Clarke flushes with the praise.

"Focus girls, we still have work to do," Clarke manages to say.

"That's right, you haven't forgotten about us, have you?" Lorelai and Ontari say with creepy synchronized voices. The two witches put their hands together, summoning a gust of black clouds with electricity crackling in between. With a loud roar, they let the tornado rip, headed straight towards Bellamy and Octavia. Lexa and Clarke swear and try to fly to the siblings but they're too late. The electric black cloud hits them and their friends disappear into the clouds.

"Bellamy!" Clarke cries out, her heart bulging out of her throat. _They can't be dead_.

The two witches laugh but their laughter stutters when they see a sphere of vines and bark surround the space where the Blake siblings were. The plants ooze with the dark magic. The barrier drops and Octavia falls out, drained from channeling the dark magic through her plants.

"Octavia! Octavia, no!" Bellamy cries, straining against his restraints as his sister's breathing falls off. But soon enough, a bright light begins to emerge from inside Octavia. She floats up as her hair gets braided into an intricate set of braided ponytails, her Charmix outfit making way for a green smock, and beautiful purple wings sprouting from her back.

"Winx Enchantix!" Octavia calls out as her eyes open. She looks down at her new outfit and a shark-like smile takes over her face. "Cool," she breathes.

Then, Emori shoots up from beneath the cliff, her Charmix having already given way to her Enchantix form, holding Murphy by his arms. Clarke and Octavia let out a cheer as they're newly ascended friend lands in the clearing, gently laying down her lover. She's now wearing a red and blue two-piece with her hair flowing freely and a pair of gorgeous red wings attached to her back. She looks up and sees her two friends also in their new forms.

She smirks, "Looks like y'all got some upgrades."

Clarke and Octavia turn to look at Lexa, who still stands in her Charmix outfit. "Not all of us," Clarke says solemnly. Lexa flinches at the implication but she knows she can't argue with then. She is still in her Charmix with no idea how to earn her Enchantix.

Emori's eyes soften, "It's okay, you'll get it soon." Lexa just purses her lips and nods.

Octavia clears her throat, "Well, either way, we definitely have enough juice to take these witches out." They all turn to the three witches who are now cowering by Josephine's limp body. Josephine watches the scene unfolded in front of her, cursing the Winx for getting the upper hand on them again. Brats.

But then, her eyes catch on something shimmering in behind their captives. She lets out a joyous laugh, the fool Cage actually did it. He found a way to open the door to Obsidian.

Josephine just keeps laughing to the surprise of her fellow witches and their captives. "You're too late, we've already won. The door to Obsidian is open."

* * *

_Earlier_

"Dammit!" Raven growls, banging her fist against the sidewall of the main cabin in the Owl. "We're always one step behind Cage. He's already gotten five out of the seven selkies, and we only show up in time to see the bodies."

The rest of their team stays quiet, the feeling of their failure lingering heavy on top of them like a cave ceiling about to collapse.

Wells is the first one to break the silence, "We'll get the last two. We already have their locations, now it's just a matter of beating him there."

No one mentions that Cage can teleport.

By the time they reach the lair of the sixth selkie gatekeeper, it's too late. The selkie lays on the floor of her cave, unmoving, Cage nowhere in sight.

Raven lets out an anguished scream as she collapses to the floor. "This is useless? What good is tech if it doesn't get us here in time to save the day?" she sobs.

Roan walks over to her, crouching down to meet her eyes. "Without your tech, we wouldn't have even known where to look. It's not your fault Cage is so fast."

Raven just looks at him with tired eyes, "What are we supposed to do when he gets the last selkie?"

Roan sighs, "Then we'll figure out a new plan. Hopefully, the Mount Weather team is having better luck than us."

Suddenly, Luna jerks up, her eyes wild. She runs over to Wells who is steering the Owl. She places her hands on his shoulders, gripping them tightly. "We need to get to Andros _now._ The loss of the selkies is throwing Andros out of balance. It's going to implode in on itself if we don't fix it," she cries, frantic.

Wells turns around to look at his fiancée. He's about to argue that they need to find the seventh selkie but when he sees Raven and Roan shaking their heads from behind Luna, he accepts that the last selkie is a lost cause. Plus, Luna looks terrified, and he doesn't want to see that look on her, ever.

So he nods and begins to change their course to the Kingdom of Andros.

It takes them nearly twenty minutes to get to Andros (Wells had used to sonic jets), and Luna all but jumps out of the hull, racing towards her kingdom. When the rest of the team steps out, their eyes widen as they take in the volatile kingdom. The currents are violent and chaotic, smashing against the kingdom's shores. Buildings sway and crumble as the magic that keeps them standing suffocates. Andros looks a breath away from falling apart.

This was the right choice.

They run after Luna, following her into the palace. She leads them down a winding hallway after winding hallway until they come across a room with a giant glass dome ceiling and a pond of fish in the middle. Luna's parents are already there, watching in horror as the life fades from the fish in the pond.

"Mother, Father, I'm here, what can I do?' Luna calls out, racing to her parents' side.

Her mother looks at her daughter with tears in her eyes, "I'm afraid that there's nothing you can do, Luna. The magic is being stripped from our ocean as the selkies die. Soon, Andros will be submerged in ruins without the magic of the ocean to support its infrastructure." Her mother wipes a tear from her eyes.

Her father looks at Luna, sternly. "You shouldn't be here. Get out while you can. You can still carry the legacy of Andros with you."

Luna shakes her head furiously, "I'm not leaving my kingdom to drown. I will stay here and help get everyone out of the city."

This is when Wells steps forward. "Luna, dear, it might be easier if Roan and I use the Owl to get everyone out. You might be useful here with your magic."

Luna gasps _, her magic_. Of course!

She turns back around to her parents, "I'm the fairy of waves, surely my magic could sustain Andros?"

Her father looks horrified at the suggestion. "The amount of magic it would take would kill you. We cannot let you take that risk," he orders.

Luna just steels her shoulders and glares at him. "I am the Princess of Andros. I am duty-bound to give my life for my people. And if this is how it has to go, then I'll gladly become one with Andros." Her parents gape at their daughter who turns to give Wells and Roan orders.

"Raven, can you stay here with me just in case anything happens?" Luna asks her friend.

Raven nods. "Say less."

With their plan mostly figured out, Roan and Wells move to take their leave. But before Wells steps fully into the Owl, he turns around and runs back to Luna. He grabs her face in his hands and kisses her deeply. She moans at the kiss, feeling its warmth all the way down to her toes.

He pulls away far too soon but he doesn't go far. He rests his forehead against hers and murmurs, "Be careful. I was rather looking forward to marrying you."

Luna lets out a watery laugh. "You have awful timing," she teases.

Wells just smiles and presses his lips to hers in one last motion. Luna brings her hand up to hold his as he kisses her. When he pulls back, he doesn't say anything but she promises him she'll be safe without saying anything. He nods and jogs back onto the ship, turning around one last time before the ship doors close.

She smiles at him and commits his face to her memory. She probably won't see him again.

Once the boys take off, Luna turns to the pond. Her parents try to stop her but Raven holds them back, tears in her eyes as well. Raven deserves more than having to watch her friend sacrifice herself but this is the life they chose.

"Winx Charmix!" Luna shouts, summoning her fairy form.

Luna places her hands above the pond, letting her magic flow out of her body and into the pond. The pond glows pink as her magic takes root in the dying fish. She can feel her body weakening as her magic flows out of the pond and into the surrounding ocean. She feels one with the ocean as if her soul was flowing out through her magic. She feels the city begin to stabilize, currents calming down, buildings stilling. It's working.

She keeps going until she can't anymore, finally collapsing out of exhaustion. Her head is spinning, and her body feels like it's been hit by a meteor. She distantly hears Raven and her parents calling her name but she succumbs to darkness before she can respond.

Bright, powerful magic begins to rush through her veins. She gasps as the magic fills her to the bone with power. She floats up and feels her Charmix form slip away as a green, belted tunic takes its place. Giant blue wings spring from her back as her hair is pulled into a mermaid tail.

"Winx Enchantix!" She cries out.

She floats down to the ground, staring at her body in awe. _She lived_. She earned her Enchantix.

"Whoa," Raven breathes.

Luna lets out a surprised laugh, "Whoa, indeed."

Her parents rush over to pull her into a giant hug, sobbing as they hold on to their daughter.

"You did it, my sweet girl, you saved Andros," her mother sobs, petting her hair.

At the mention of saving Andros, her shoulders drop and she pushes away from her parents. She looks down, ashamed, and tells them what she learned when she fixing the ocean magic. "It's not over yet, Cage captured the last selkie. He has everything he needs to open the portal. We're too late," she admits, wrecked.

Raven and her parents gasp at the news.

"Can you close the gates with your new powers?" her father asks.

Luna shakes her head, "Even an Enchantix fairy doesn't have enough power to go against the magic of seven selkies plus Cage's magic."

Raven taps her chin. Luna can see he gears turning in her head. Finally, Raven snaps her fingers and points at Luna, "I got it! What if we could find a way to funnel the selkies' powers back to them? That should weaken Cage enough so he can't keep the portal open."

It's not a terrible idea, but Luna wouldn't even know where to start. First, they'd need to gather all the ailing selkies and then figure out how to undue Cage's magic.

Luna gasps. _They need to undo Cage's magic_.

"Fairy dust!" Luna exclaims.

Raven whoops, "Fairy dust, baby."

Luna nods, a plan already starting to form in her head. "Okay, I'll gather the western selkies, and you can gather the eastern selkies. Meet back within the hour," she orders. Raven salutes her before running out the door. Luna takes a deep breath and turns to her parents. The elderly couple just smiles at her, proud.

"You've become such a strong fairy, my child. Go and save Magix," her mother says, shooing her out the door. Luna presses a kiss to both her parents' cheeks before sprinting after Raven. Once she reaches the seashore, she dives into the ocean, focused on her mission and her mission alone.

* * *

Clarke, Octavia, Emori, Murphy, Lexa, and Bellamy all stare in horror as the Ancestral Witches come into view.

"We see you've brought us our vessels, girls." The eldest, Simone, says.

Nia and Alie inspect the people in front of them with their noses turned up. "Why are some of them old and male? That's hardly an appropriate vessel for us."

Josephine staggers over to the portal and bows. "I apologize, this was the best we could do in a short time."

Nia scowls, "Useless little witch. Can't even do one task right." However, she huffs and folds her arms. "I guess these will have to do." And then, everyone is being sucked into the portal.

The gang screams as their bodies hurtle towards the Dark Realm. Clarke desperately tries to find purchase on _anything_ but she's surrounded by dark clouds.

Everyone, including the Trix, tumble onto the earthy floor in an unceremonious heap. Lexa scowls, pushing Lorelai away from her, and Octavia creates a wall of vines between her and her brother and Ontari. Josephine lands on top of Clarke, who knees her in the gut. Josephine lets out a pained cry before rolling off of Clarke.

Clarke wastes no time getting up and checking on her friends. Her mother is fine if a little shaken. The rest of the fairies and Specialists seem to be doing okay. Her eyes give Bellamy a quick second look-over just to be sure he's okay. He catches her staring the second time and gives her his signature annoying smirk. She huffs.

Lexa stands up, her eyes locked on the Ancestral Witches. It's then that Clarke notices that Lexa's eyes are glowing again.

Uh-oh.

"So you're the witches who killed my parents?" Lexa growls.

Simone's eyes widen as she takes in Lexa. "My, my, what do we have here? Is that the Dragon Flame?" she posits cheerfully. "This must be our lucky day."

Lexa just sneers at the witches, "If you survive the day, that is." Clarke shivers at how cold Lexa's voice is.

The Ancestral Witches just cackle, taunting Lexa, "We'll destroy you, little fairy, and then we'll take the Flame right out of your dead body." With that, Simone summons a ball of lightning and shoots it towards Lexa. However, Clarke watches in awe as Lexa catches the burning ball in her hands and extinguishes it.

"You'll have to try harder than that," she disparages. Then, Lexa brings her hands in front of her body, palms facing the witches, and lets a gush of fire spew from her hands. The witches, however, simply raise a barrier against the flames.

"Such a weak fairy for such a strong power," Alie taunts. "It'll be easy taking the flame from you."

Clarke looks to Octavia and Emori. "We have to help her!" They both nod and fly up next to Lexa. Lexa doesn't look at them but Clarke sees the way some of the tension in her shoulders leaves. She's relieved that they're there with her.

Clarke grabs Lexa's hand while Octavia grabs Clarke's other hand. Emori grabs Lexa's other hand. Lexa looks startled, questions in her eyes.

Clarke just nods, "Let's do this together. Let's combine all of our magic."

Lexa’s eyes widen with surprise before nodding her head. "Let's do it," she says.

Together, the four fairies dig up all the energy that they have, creating a bright glow around their bodies as balls of energy begin to form in front of them. Once the glow reaches a fever pitch, the girls open their now glowing eyes and scream, sending the balls hurtling towards the witches. As the balls move, they meld together into one beam of magic, speckled with orange, yellow, green, and red light.

The witches hastily throw up another field but when the magic hits the shield, it keeps pushing. The witches groan as they try to keep the barrier up but the magic begins to crack the spell.

Behind her, a branch snaps, and then she hears a scream as someone is tackled to the ground.

She hears Bellamy's voice, growling, "You're not going anywhere near them, Josephine." Behind them, Murphy knocks out Ontari with the hilt of his daggers while her mother gets Lorelai into a chokehold. Both witches crumple to the ground, unconscious.

She thanks them silently in her head.

But the shield still doesn't break, and Clarke feels herself growing weaker and weaker. "We can't keep this up! We need more juice," she cries out.

"I'm using everything I got," Emori grinds out.

"Same here," Octavia agrees. Clarke is also using more power than she's ever had before. She probably has more power in her Enchantix form but she just earned it thirty minutes ago. She's still not sure how to wield the form's power. She suspects Octavia and Emori are in the same boat.

Lexa just steels her stance and sends more power through her connection, "Don't give up. I will not let them get away with this." Lexa screams, pushing more and more of her power into the ray of magic. Soon enough, the orange of her flames begins to overtake the colors from the other girls. Clarke watches in amazement as the cracks in the witches' barrier begins to grow again.

And then, Lexa starts to glow. She levitates, her wings growing into blue beauties, her two-piece Charmix suit giving way to a light blue dress with ruffles. Her hair gets tied into a million little braids which wrap around her head like a crown.

"Winx Enchantix!" Lexa screams. "I will not let you get away with the murder of my parents, _my kingdom._ You will pay for your sins," she growls fiercely.

Clarke blinks. Holy hell, did Lexa just will her Enchantix into being? That's . . . intense.

But nevertheless, Lexa's level up is exactly what they need to destroy the witches' barrier. The barrier falls apart with a loud crack, and the witches begin to scream seconds later as the fairies' magic begins to envelop them. All four girls let out an agonizing scream as they push their magic into a second wave. The witches begin to glow as the magic crawls in through their eyes, their mouths, their ears, cleansing the witches of their dark magic.

Soon enough, the witches shrink and shrink until they're the size of a doll. Clarke, Emori, and Octavia drop their arms out of exhaustion once the witches are adequately depleted. They're of no harm now.

But Lexa doesn't let up. Instead, she levitates and her eyes glow even brighter. "Purifying Flame of Sparx!" She shouts as her fire begins to wrap around the witches, trapping them in a vortex of fire.

Clarke's eyes widen. Lexa is going to kill the witches. But as she goes to stop her, Clarke's promise surfaces to the front of her mind. She promised she'd give Lexa light.

And looking at the witches, remembering all the pain that they have caused over their centuries of terror, Clarke finds out that she's not really torn about their demise. So Clarke puts her hands up again, summoning the brightest rays of sun she can find. She then weaves her magic into Lexa's, so that her magic may detect all the dark spots in the witches and guide Lexa's magic.

She watches as their magic buries its way under the witches’ skin, their faces cracking as their veins glow golden.

Clarke thinks the screams might haunt her for the rest of her life.

But with the two of them combining their magic, the witches disappear into nothing quickly. Only once the last echo of the witches is gone from Obsidian does Lexa lower her hands. Clarke lowers her as well, trembling as the overexertion catches up to her. She feels a warm hand immediately grip her side, and when she cranes her head to see Bellamy's concerned face, she just smiles softly and leans back into his solid chest, welcoming the safe reprieve to rest. She watches Lexa's eyes return to normal, angry, and tired.

Emori whistles, "That was hardcore."

Lexa stares at the patch of grass where the witches sat. "Blood must have blood,” she states, her voice even. She then turns to the girls, "We should get out of here. Without the witches' magic, I doubt this place can sustain itself. It feeds off of the dark magic."

Octavia nods, "Finally! This place was really starting to kill my vibe." She's off and flying towards the portal before anyone can blink. Bellamy shakes his head, muttering about chopped liver. He startles when Clarke intertwines their hands and looks at her questioningly. Clarke just looks innocently back at him. She's tired and this is definitely how she wants to exist for the foreseeable future, unconcerned and with him by her side. He smiles and leads them back to the portal.

As the group makes its way back to the portal, Emori pauses at the unconscious bodies of the Trix. "What should we do with them?" she asks.

Octavia snorts, "Just leave them here, they'll only be back to torture us again if they get out."

Lexa nods, "Their magic should be enough to keep the world from collapsing in on itself. They'll probably live." Clarke thinks that's probably the best idea there is.

The portal trip back to Magix is just as bumpy as the way there. They all fall out of the portal into a heap again, minus the witches. This time, however, Clarke ends up sprawled across Bellamy, who places his hands on her waist to steady her. Clarke can feel the heat of his hands through her dress, and it feels warmer than any ray of sun she's created.

"I should probably thank you for saving me," Bellamy says genuinely, looking at her with deep, caring eyes.

Clarke blushes at his gaze. "Octavia saved you," she mutters, hiding her face in the valley of his collarbone.

Bellamy just chuckles, tangling a hand into her hand. It feels so good, Clarke almost purrs. "I knew the two of you would come for me," he states, stroking her hair gently.

"I came for my mother, not for you," Clarke protests weakly, but the feeling of his body under hers and his hand through his feels so good. She knows she really came here for two people. She wouldn't have been able to breathe if either her mother or Bellamy got hurt.

"Ugh, will you two lovebirds please get up? We still have a portal to close!" Octavia groans.

Clarke startles, looking up to see everyone already standing, and more embarrassingly _, looking at them._ She yelps and shoots off of Bellamy, the boy in question grunting as she uses his stomach as a launching pad. Bellamy gets up after her, but he doesn't move away. Clarke can't look at him without turning a bright shade of red, but she's glad he doesn't make a move to step away from her.

"So what's the plan?" she asks, clearing her throat.

Lexa, for her part, just looks unimpressed. "We were hoping you had an idea."

Clarke rubs the back of her neck sheepishly, "I could try to close it but I used up a lot of my power back there. I'm not sure I could handle it."

But it turns out, she doesn't have to. Because just as she finishes her sentence, the portal begins to close.

* * *

"There's that's the last selkie," Raven says, placing the gaunt selkie on the surface of the pond. Luna hums and summons her fairy dust, sprinkling the magical dust over the selkie. They watch as Cage's insignia begins to glow on the selkie's skin, only to be erased by the fairy dust. After a few moments of glowing, the selkie opens her eyes, coughing.

She sits up, her tail disappearing into the water, and looks around. Once her eyes land on Luna, she immediately bows. "Princess Luna! What happened?" she asks.

Luna smiles kindly at the selkie. "You had your magic taken by an evil wizard named Cage. But we were able to restore your power to you. You're safe now."

The selkie smiles, "Really? Thank you very much, Princess Luna."

"I’m just glad we were able to stop the portal to Obsidian," she remarks.

The selkie's eyes widen, "A portal to Obsidian? One has been opened?"

Luna nods, "Yes, Cage used the power of the selkies to open a portal, most likely in Mount Weather."

The selkie gasps and begins to swim frantically through the pond. "Oh no, this is not good. This is _not good at all,_ " the selkie mutters frantically to herself.

Raven crouches down on the other edge of the pool. "What do you mean? We gave all the selkies' back their powers. That should be enough to leave Cage weakened and unable to hold open the portal."

The selkie looks at Raven and waves her arms, "No, you don't understand. Once the portal has been open, it will stay open unless someone can close it from the inside."

Raven's eyes widen in horror, "But then they'll be trapped in Obsidian, too."

The selkie nods solemnly, "Closing the portal would be a death sentence for whoever closes it." Luna lets out a strangled cry. They were so close but even now, it's still not enough.

"What happens if the portal stays open?" Raven demands.

"The dark magic will leak into Magix, contaminating the dimension, as it sucks in all the good magic. It would eventually destroy Magix as we know it."

Raven gasps. The end of Magix, her home? No more Alfea, no more Winx, no more Zeke? No more days spent locked away in her room as she tinkers with another project? No more days of innovation and exploration? She couldn't bear the thought.

Raven makes up her mind. "I'll do it," she declares, standing up.

Luna's mouth drops open, and she sputters, "Raven, you can't! You'll _die._ "

Raven walks over to her friend, wrapping her up in a warm hug, She buries her face her into Luna's hair, holding her tightly around the waist. She would give anything for these girls to live. They were her family.

"I have to do this, Luna. You have a kingdom to run, and we have no way of getting into contact with the other girls." She pulls back and looks Luna in the eyes. "I have to save Magix, Luna, and you need to be here to make sure it doesn't get blown up by some other wackadoo villain." Luna chokes on a sob, pulling Raven back in for a hug. Raven shushes Luna gently as she cries, running her hand through her hair. She's going to miss her friends, dearly.

Eventually, Luna pulls away, her eyes red and puffy from crying. "There has to be another way," she argues.

Raven shakes her head, "You heard the selkie. The only way to close that portal is a one-way ticket. I'm doing this, Luna."

Luna looks heartbroken, her face is wreckage, shattered and splintered. "I don't want to lose you," she murmurs quietly.

Raven smiles softly at her friend, placing a hand over Luna's heart. "I'll always be here," she says gently. Then, she tilts her head, "Plus, they're probably going to write books about us so you'll get to see my lovely face in the next generation of textbooks."

Luna lets out a watery laugh. "Who the hell would want to write about _you_? You're leaving before your story has even started," she jokes lightly.

Raven just smiles and says, "My story has always been with you girls. The world will never be able to forget that."

Eventually, Luna nods and steps away from Raven. She still aches for her friend not to go, but she knows that once Raven makes up her mind, there's no stopping her. She only wishes Raven wasn't taking a piece of all of them before she goes. She knows the other girls will be heartbroken once they find out.

"Thank you, Raven Reyes," she whispers as her friend walks towards the selkie. Now that the portal is open, any selkie can teleport someone into Obsidian. With one last look at Luna, Raven waves goodbye as the selkie sends her off.

Once Raven is fully gone from her sight, Luna collapses to her knees and wails.

* * *

Clarke and her friends watch in amazement as the portal to Obsidian closes slowly.

"But how?" Octavia breathes. Clarke doesn't have an answer for her. Unless is Cage--? No, Lexa probably would’ve felt it if her twin flame had died out. But then how is the portal closing?

A bright light begins to pour off the portal. Clarke has to raise a hand over her brows so that she can see what's happening.

Her heart stops when she hears a familiar voice, "Winx Enchantix!"

And then, Raven Reyes tumbles out of the portal just as it closes for good. Everyone watches in stunned silence as Raven dusts herself off. She stands up and takes a look around. "Huh, I didn't die. Cool."

"Raven, what the hell are you doing here?" Emori asks, running over to hug the girl.

Raven just laughs and spins Emori around. "Well, Cage got all the selkies but we were able to restore their powers with Luna's fairy dust. But since the portal was already open, it could only be closed from the inside. So I hopped on in to close it, and I guess that was my sacrifice because next thing I know, I'm unlocking Enchantix, which gave me enough speed to hightail it out of there before it closed for good," she explains.

Clarke gasps, "Raven, you could've _died_."

Raven rolls her eyes, "Yeah, but I _didn't_ , so . . . ."

Clarke lets out a watery laugh, "You're such an idiot."

Raven shrugs, "I get the job done."

With that, Clarke and Octavia pounce on Emori and Raven, holding each other tightly. But there's someone missing. Clarke turns to beckon Lexa to join them but the other girl just shakes her head.

"We might've defeated the witches and closed the portal, but Cage is still out there. We need to find him before he can cause more damage," Lexa reminds them.

Octavia groans, "Of course, there's more to do. Why can it ever be one bad guy with one loose end? Why do they all have to be so _complicated?_ "

The girls reluctantly break from their hug to look to Lexa. "So how do we find Cage?" Emori asks.

Lexa smiles. "Ever since I earned Enchantix, I've felt a stronger connection to the Dragon Flame. And not just mine, every piece of the flame scattered across the dimension, including Cage's. I think I can get us his location if someone can get us there."

Murphy raises his hand, "Well, we do have the ship."

Bellamy nods, "Yeah, we could drive you."

Octavia claps, "Great, we have a plan. Find Cage and whoop his ass."

Abby chooses this moment to interject, "If it's not too much of a bother, could you please drop me back off at Solaria? I'm afraid I won't be of much help to you." Clarke goes to hug her mom. She really is gad that she is safe.

"I'm sure that that's okay, right guys?" She asks the Specialists who just give her a thumbs up.

Raven also raises her hand, "We'll also probably need to pick up Luna from Andros."

Bellamy nods, "Alright, Solaria then Andros then Cage Wallace, let's get this show on the road."

* * *

After they pick up Luna (who cries when she sees Raven alive), Lexa starts to meditate. She levitates a few inches off the ground, and a golden light surrounds her.

It's a little creepy watching Lexa spout off directions without opening her eyes. It's almost like she's a conduit for otherwordly powers. But it seems to be working because they arrive in the middle of the ocean, where a giant demon stands perched on a lone stone spire.

"That doesn't look like Cage," Raven muses.

Just then, Cage's insignia flashes across the demon's chest.

The pieces click in her head. "Holy shit, I think that _is_ Cage," Clarke breathes. "He's somehow turned into a demon."

Emori groans, "Octavia, I think you were onto something back at Mount Weather."

Octavia swivels around in her chair, waving her arms wildly, "That's what I'm saying! Why can't it just be a nice demon or a wizard or anything else, as long as it's _just one_ _thing_?"

Lexa rolls her eyes, "I doubt such a villain would pose a large threat to Magix."

Octavia huffs, "And that's the other thing. Who would want to destroy Magix? It's so nice here."

"Because wherever there is good, there will be evil to balance it out," Bellamy says sagely from his spot at the controls.

Octavia feels her eyes roll back into her head at her dork brother. He honestly thinks he's so cool. She turns to complain to Clarke about it but Clarke is off to the side, trying to sneak peeks at Bellamy. Except, she's not being very subtle at all. Octavia groans again, sliding further down into her chair. Traitor. She didn't realize that if Clarke and Bellamy got together, they'd be super gross. She's created a monster.

Speaking of monsters, Murphy calls for them to head to the hull of the ship. They'll drop the girls off by Cage. Everyone nods and heads to the back of the ship. On the intercom, they hear Murphy counting down from ten.

Clarke looks at the girls next to her, all beautiful and smart girls who have proven themselves to the universe. She couldn't be more grateful for a better team.

"Alright guys, let's show this overgrown lizard what the Winx Club is made of," she rallies. The rest of the girls cheer just as Murphy hits zero, and the floor beneath them falls away. They yelp at the sudden drop but then Clarke calls out, "Winx Enchantix!"

One by one each girl transforms in mid-air. By the time, they reach Cage, their hands are hot with magic, ready for a fight.

However, when Cage sees them, he lets out a furious roar. "You pesky little fairies ruined my plans! Now, you'll taste my true power," he growls.

Raven crinkles her nose, "Ew that sounds so wrong." Emori and Octavia snicker.

Cage ignores them and spreads open _wings_ from his back. They watch in astonishment as Cage takes off, meeting them in the air. He roars and a plume of fire explodes from his mouth. Lexa's eyes flash and she dives towards the flames. Clarke and Luna cry out as the flames hit Luna but then they notice that Lexa seems to be _absorbing_ the flames.

Once all the flames are gone, Lexa smirks. "Thanks for the snack," she taunts before shooting a ray of fire three times as large as the one she created in Obsidian. However, Cage sees it coming and dodges it. Emori uses the opening to send powerful shockwaves through the air, destabilizing Cage. And as Cage loses his balance, Clarke summons a ray of sunlight to shine directly into the demon's eyes. Cage screams as his eyes burn.

Then, he lets out another roar, this time the shockwaves sending the girls flying back. "You think just because some new outfits that you can beat me? I am Cage, I was created by the Ancestral Witches, I am _indomitable,_ " he roars.

Octavia is the first to regain her balance, summoning large lengths of seaweed from the ocean floor. She snorts, "You talk big for someone who's getting his ass kicked into the next millennia." She sends the seaweed towards Cage, flattening his wings against his back. Cage struggles against the seaweed but Octavia's grip on the plants is firm.

Luna summons a large wave of water that crashes against Cage, slamming him into the stone spire. There, Octavia wraps her seaweed around Cage like shackles. Cage is roaring fire and struggling violently against his restraints, to little use.

Lexa flies over to him, her shadow completely engulfing the wizard. "You have something that doesn't belong to you. I think it's time someone takes it back." With that, she shoves _her_ hand into Cage's chest like he did to her all those days ago. Clarke flinches at the violent display but understands that it's what needs to be done. Cage's screams are shrill and agonizing as Lexa roots around in his chest. Suddenly, Cage's back arches violently, and his screaming stops, his breath stolen from him. Lexa _yanks_ and her hand comes out with a tiny black flame in her palm.

Cage drops lifelessly onto the stone spire, breathing shallowly.

Lexa holds the flame with both hands and whispers, "Purifying Flame of Sparx." The girls watch as the black magic is pulled out of the fire, screeching as it's detached from its life source. Soon, the dark magic disappears into nothing, leaving behind a beautiful, orange flame. Lexa smiles and _eats the flame_.

What?

"Uh Lexa, were you supposed to eat that? It looked like it would give someone explosive diarrhea for months just seconds ago," Raven asks skeptically.

Lexa shakes her head, "It's fine. I purified the flame so there are no more traces of dark magic. And eating it is, well, simpler than shoving my hand into my own chest."

Raven blanches. "Sure, sure, sure." She turns to Emori and makes the cuckoo sign over her head. Emori just chuckles and shrugs. Lexa's a little weird but she means well.

Clarke floats down to check on Cage. She presses her fingers to his throat, and sure enough, there is a heartbeat. It's faint but it's still there.

Lexa floats down next to her. "He'll live but he won't be able to use magic ever again," she explains.

Clarke hums and looks at the withering demon and then back to Lexa. She smiles, "I'm glad you found another way."

Lexa smiles back at her, "Thank you for pushing me to be better."

Clarke laughs and throws an arm around Lexa. Things seem to be looking up for them.

* * *

_Two Months Later_

The wedding is beautiful. Luna and Wells wanted to bring in elements from both of their kingdoms so there are shells on each table from Andros and vibrant coral from Wells' kingdom, the land of mermaids and tritons.

Luna and Wells look so happy, they're almost glowing as they head to the dance floor. The ceremony had been short but beautiful, and Clarke has never seen her friend _beam_.

A part of Clarke is wistful, watching her friends. She looks at the empty seat beside her and sighs. If only--

Lexa plops down in the empty seat, chewing on some cheese and crackers from the snack bar. The only downside to the wedding is that both Wells and Luna are intensely against eating fish, which, _fair,_ but that meant the snack bar was a little less than exciting.

Lexa offers Clarke a cracker with some cheese, and Clarke takes it. "How did your meeting with Roan go?" Clarke asks, munching on her cracker.

Lexa sighs, "He's been making good on his promise to help me rebuild Sparx since it was freed from the witches' magic when they died _but_ he's so hard to get a hold of. I've resorted to cornering him in the men's bathroom at our friend's wedding to discuss trade negotiations."

Clarke chokes back a laugh. She can only imagine how well Roan took his visitor in the middle of his . . . _kingly_ _duties._ "Well, did you at least get something for your trouble?" she asks Lexa.

Lexa furrows her eyebrows and scoffs, "Of course, I did. I'm very persuasive."

Clarke chuckles, "Sure, you are."

Lexa just rolls her eyes. "Where is your worse half?"

Clarke rolls her eyes right back at Lexa, "I think he went to go get drinks." She swipes another cracker from Lexa's plate, much to the princess' ire. "You know, I thought you liked each other. You got along so well in the beginning," Clarke muses.

Lexa snorts, "That was before I knew how much of an ass Blake is."

Clarke smirks, "It is a great ass, indeed."

Lexa just gags and looks at Clarke like she's grown a second head. "Gross," she scowls.

Clarke just smiles, "You're the one who brought him up. Now, it's my turn. Where's _your_ better half?"

Predictably, Lexa melts at the mention of the kind witch she started seeing a month ago. Costia was a mild-mannered witch from Cloud Tower who took to Lexa immediately. It was hilarious watching the usually cool and composed Lexa blush and stutter around the tiny witch. Costia, in turn, loved to rile up Lexa by flirting with her every chance she got. The two certainly made a cute pair.

"She's dancing with Emori and Luna, I think."

Clarke nudges Lexa in the side. "Why don't you go join them?"

Lexa purses her lips, "I don't dance." Clarke chuckles. Having lived with Lexa for three months now, she knew very well that Lexa did dance. It just wasn't the most coordinated.

"It's a wedding, Lexa! You should be sweeping Costia off her feet," Clarke teases lightly.

Lexa glares at Clarke. "If I wanted to sweep Costia off of her feet, I could just take us flying. There's no need to add dancing to this."

Clarke groans, "Oh my god, then take her flying. It's a wedding, read the room! It's a night of _romance._ "

Lexa scowls. "Dating Blake has changed you," she grumbles.

Clarke just smiles and hums, shooing Lexa towards Costia. "Go, go, go, get on with the sweeping!" Lexa flips her off but goes to find Costia anyway. Clarke smiles as she watches Lexa ask for Costia's hand. Costia looks delighted as she slips her fingers into Lexa's hand. Lexa leads them away from the dance, that sly dog.

Bellamy plops back down into his newly vacated seat, handing her a glass of wine and putting his glass of whiskey down on the table. He pecks her cheek as he sits, and Clarke smiles at him. They haven't been dating for long (they got together a mere week after the Cage debacle) but Clarke is already sure he's the one for her. He makes her laugh when no one else can, understands her temperaments better than she does, and he's _oh so handsome_. Especially in the suit he put on for the wedding. By now, he's shed his jacket and rolled his sleeves up to his forearms, his impressive arms on display.

She really wants to have her way with him.

Judging by the way he's looking at her, she's pretty sure he's thinking the same thing. She _might've_ worn the blue cowl neck dress from the welcome party because now she knows how much it affects Bellamy when she wears it. It's definitely one of her best weapons.

He swings an arm around the back of her chair, leaning forward so that there are less than three inches between their faces. "Hey," he says.

Clarke giggles, "Hey." He presses a deep kiss to her lips, biting on her lower lip. The sensation makes her gasp, and he uses the opportunity to lick into her mouth. She brings one hand up to angle in his hair, pulling him closer to her.

She may have fallen for Bellamy Blake without even noticing but she's eternally glad she wasn't alone. When he confessed that he had apologized to her that night because Octavia had called him out on his utterly incompetent handling of his crush on her, Clarke burst out into laughter, much to Bellamy's chagrin.

"Oh my god, Octavia was so right about you! You never did grow out of your pulling pigtails phase," she cackles.

Bellamy just scowls and mutters something about little sisters keeping their nose out of his business. Clarke just laughed and comforted him with a kiss. There were truly more economic ways they could be spending their time.

Now, they were at Luna and Wells' wedding, and Clarke knows that this will be them one day.

When she pulls back, Bellamy rests his forehead against hers, smiling that smile that melts Clarke's heart. "Wanna say goodbye to everyone before we head out?" he asks.

Clarke turns to scan the room for her friends. Luna and Wells, Octavia and Lincoln, and Emori and Murphy are all wrapped up in each other on the dance floor. She spots Raven and Zeke arguing with the DJ. And Lexa and Costia have disappeared.

Clarke shakes her head, "Nah, they're all enjoying themselves. I don't want to disrupt that." Bellamy hums, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear, and then pressing a soft kiss behind her earlobe. Clarke's heart stutters at the sweet gesture.

"Well then, let's go, our chariot awaits," Bellamy smirks. Clarke rolls her eyes. For their bravery, Red Fountain has awarded each Specialist their own motorbike. Bellamy was _obsessed_ with his. Clarke didn't mind it so much because she got to wrap her arms around his waist and hold on tight. It felt a little bit like flying but so much _better._

Bellamy stands up and pulls her up with him. She laughs as they walk out of the reception. On their way out, she catches sight of Lexa sitting on a railing with Costia standing in between her knees, rubbing soothing circles into Lexa's flesh. Lexa looks up and sees Clarke leaving with Bellamy. Clarke waves to Lexa who smiles warmly and waves back.

Clarke never thought she'd find the sole survivor of Sparx on Earth, but man is she sure glad that she did.

**Author's Note:**

> if you've made it this far, i thank you!! this took on a life of its own and I'm glad I can share it with y'all. 
> 
> let me know what y'all think? comments are like water in a desert to me.
> 
> [come cry with me in my dumpster fire](https://that-english-nerd.tumblr.com/)


End file.
